Fluturat e Shqipërisë
Butterflies of Albania

Sylvain Cuvelier =
Anila Paparisto =

Last update: 12.iv.2024

Lycaena ottomanus / Grecian Copper
Flakëroshja e jugut
Lycaenidae - Lycaeninae

Lycaena ottomanus (Lefèbvre, 1831). TL: Greece.

1a. Lycaena ottomanus, distribution map. Historical data ; Additional data from the 2018 update ; New observations since the 2018 update.
1b. Lycaena ottomanus ♀ underside. Greece (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1c. Habitat of Lycaena ottomanus. Greece (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1d. Lycaena ottomanus ♂ underside. Greece (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1e. Lycaena ottomanus ♂ upperside. Albania (© Eddy Oorthuysen)

Description
♂♂
Small butterfly. Fw: 14-15 mm.
Ups: gleaming red-gold gc.
Hw: often with a small marginal tooth.
Upf: ♂♂ small black spots at cell-end and s4-s7, black marginal border widest at the apex.
Uph: black marginal border with distinct or fused round black marginal spots.
Uns: yellow-grey gc.
Unh: broad orange-red submarginal lunules in s1a-s5, no white markings.
♀♀
Similar size.
Ups: gleaming orange-gold gc.
Upf and Uph: dark spots in usual pattern.
Hw: with marginal tooth (spring generation), in summer generation a marginal tail.
Uns: similar to ♂♂.
Unh: no white markings.

Similar species

Lycaena virgaureae Size: similar or slightly larger. ♂♂ Upf: no small black spots at cell-end and s4-s8. Uph: small sm dots, no tail. Unh: white spots. Unh: weak orange sm band with inconspicuous black dots. ♀♀ Uph: pale brown basal suffusion. Uph: sm dots, scalloped margin. Unh: white spots. Unh: weak orange sm band with inconspicuous black dots. Lycaena phlaeas Size: smaller Lycaena. Upf: cell, discal and pd black dots. Upf: dark suffusion very variable. Uph: basal dark gc. Unh: narrow orange sm band.

Life cycle
Adults: two full generations and a partial third generation, from mid-April to mid-May, from June to July and again in September.
Egg: probably short stage.
Caterpillar: overwintering in the egg.
Pupa: probably short stage.

Habitat
Lycaena ottomanus inhabits rough places and flowery meadows from lowland up to at least 1000 m a.s.l.
Spatial requirement moderate, population density can be high, nomadic.

Foodplants
Caterpillars feed on Rumex acetosella.
Butterflies feed on a variety of flowers.

Distribution
Albania: local (more research needed)
Balkan: AL - BG - BIH - GR - HR - NMK - MNE - RKS - RO - SLO - SRB
Europe: IB - IT - ALP - BAL - NWE - UK - SCA - EEU
Coastal areas of southern Turkey.

Conservation status
Lycaena ottomanus is not endangered.
Albanian Red List: VU B2a.
IUCN Red List, category at the Mediterranean level: LC.

Useful links
Pyrgus.de
Lepiforum
Euroleps

Contact