Fluturat e Shqipërisë
Butterflies of Albania

Sylvain Cuvelier =
Anila Paparisto =

Last update: 12.iv.2024

Lycaena phlaeas / Small Copper
Flakëroshja e artë
Lycaenidae - Lycaeninae

Lycaena phlaeas (Linnaeus, 1761). TL: Västmanland, Sweden.

1a. Lycaena phlaeas, distribution map. Historical data ; Additional data from the 2018 update ; New observations since the 2018 update.
1b. Lycaena phlaeas ♂ upperside, dark summer form. Hasi District, Albania (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1c. Lycaena phlaeas ♂ underside. Greece (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1d. Lycaena phlaeas ♀ upperside. Albania (© Marko Prendi)
1e. Lycaena phlaeas ♀ underside. Albania (© Marko Prendi)
1f. Lycaena phlaeas ♀ upperside, dark summer form. Greece (© Sylvain Cuvelier)

Description
♂♂
Small butterfly. Smallest Lycaeana. Fw: 12-15 mm.
Upf: from gleaming reddish-gold to almost complete dark brown gc, discal spot, irregular posdiscal series of dots and black marginal border, pointed apex.
Hw: often a short marginal projection.
Uph: dark brown gc with red submarginal band bordered by small black spots.
Unf: orange gc, similar markings with a yellow border, marginal border pale yellow-brown.
Unh: small dark spots, fine or inconspicuous red submarginal lunules.
♀♀
Slightly larger.
Fw: less pointed apex.
Otherwise similar to ♂♂.

Similar species

Other Lycaena are larger. Lycaena ottomana ♂♂ Upf: small black spots at cell-end and s4-s8. Uph: small tail, no sm dots. Unh: narrow orange sm band. ♀♀ Uph: pale brown basal suffusion. Uph: well developed tail. Unh: narrow orange sm band. Lycaena virgaureae ♂♂ 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.

Life cycle
Adults: at least three continuous generations from March to October, sometimes even November, rather long life span.
Egg: 4-10 days.
Caterpillar: overwintering as young larvae in different stages (L2 to L4) in the litter layer.
Pupa: 8-21 days.

Habitat
Lycaena phlaeas inhabits a variety of flowery banks in meadows, rough grounds, along roads, parks and gardens from lowland up to 2000 m a.s.l.
Spatial requirement small, population density can be high, nomadic.

Foodplants
Caterpillars feed on Rumex acetosa, R. acetosella, R. bucephalophorus, R. conglomeratus, R. crispus, R. cristatus, R. hydrolapathum, R. obtusifolius, R. pulcher, R. sanguineus, R. scutatus and R. thyrsiflorus.
Butterflies feed on a variety of flowers.

Distribution
Albania: widespread.
Balkan: AL - BG - BIH - GR - HR - NMK - MNE - RKS - RO - SLO - SRB
Europe: IB - IT - ALP - BAL - NWE - UK - SCA - EEU
Asia Minor, Near East, Transcaucasia, Caucasus and further east.

Conservation status
Lycaena phlaeas is not endangered.
Albanian Red List: NE.
IUCN Red List, category at the Mediterranean level: LC.

Useful links
Bink
Pyrgus.de
Lepiforum
Euroleps

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