The fiery copper or dull copper (''Paralucia pyrodiscus'') is an

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

butterfly Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the Order (biology), order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The ...

of the family

Lycaenidae Lycaenidae is the second-largest family of butterflies (behind Nymphalidae, brush-footed butterflies), with over 6,000 species worldwide, whose members are also called gossamer-winged butterflies. They constitute about 30% of the known butterfl ...

. One of the two subspecies, ''P. p. lucida'', is commonly known as the Eltham copper. The larvae feed on '' Bursaria spinosa'' and are associated with ''

Notoncus ''Notoncus'' is an Australian genus of ants in the subfamily Formicinae. The genus is known from Australia (one species is also known from Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gi ...

'' ants.

Distribution

It is found in eastern

from central

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

through eastern

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

and into eastern

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

. Outlying populations occur in north Queensland and central Victoria.

Behavior

The

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. The ...

e of ''P. p. lucida'' are nocturnal and feed solely on ''Busaria spinosa'' after

dusk Dusk occurs at the darkest stage of twilight, or at the very end of astronomical twilight after sunset and just before nightfall.''The Random House College Dictionary'', "dusk". At predusk, during early to intermediate stages of twilight, enou ...

for many hours. When the temperature is above 15 °C, the larvae become inactive. They live for long periods of time, and remain active, though less-so, in the

winter Winter is the coldest season of the year in polar and temperate climates. It occurs after autumn and before spring. The tilt of Earth's axis causes seasons; winter occurs when a hemisphere is oriented away from the Sun. Different cultures ...

months. During these times, they rest in the subterranean nest chambers of different ''Notoncus'' ants, depending on their geographic distribution. During the day, larvae also rest in the ants' nest chambers near the roots of ''B. spinosa.'' At night, ants herd the larvae up the ''Busaria'' plants. Their movement signals to other larvae, creating large numbers of movement each night. Several ants commonly accompany individual larva and remain with them until they finish eating. If a larva is disturbed while feeding, it retreats back into the nest and usually does not return that night. Larvae do not leave their host plant and ant nest during their development, and they

pupa A pupa ( la, pupa, "doll"; plural: ''pupae'') is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation between immature and mature stages. Insects that go through a pupal stage are holometabolous: they go through four distinct stages in their ...

te inside the ant nest.

Taxonomy

The fiery copper was first described by Rudolph Rosenstock in 1885.

Subspecies

The species is divided into the following two subspecies: * ''Paralucia pyrodiscus pyrodiscus'' (found from southern Queensland to eastern Victoria) * ''Paralucia pyrodiscus lucida'' Crosby, 1951 (the Eltham copper, found in central Victoria, especially

Eltham Eltham ( ) is a district of southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. It is east-southeast of Charing Cross, and is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. The three wards of Elt ...

)

Conservation

The subspecies Eltham copper was thought extinct in the 1950s. A major

conservation movement The conservation movement, also known as nature conservation, is a political, environmental, and social movement that seeks to manage and protect natural resources, including animal, fungus, and plant species as well as their habitat for the f ...

surrounding it started in 1987 after a colony in the Melbourne area was found. It is listed as "threatened" on the Victorian ''Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act'' 1988. Populations have declined due to loss of habitat by urbanisation and loss of a natural fire regime. Two reserves in

were partially burnt in 1998 in an attempt to improve habitat quality for the Eltham copper. The butterfly was found in remnant bushland near Montmorency Railway Station in March 2020, the area is at risk as part of clearing for level crossing removal works.

Distribution

Behavior

Taxonomy

Subspecies

Conservation

References

Further reading