SPECIES FACT SHEET
Scientific Name: Lycaena cupreus
Common Name: Lustrous Copper
Technical Description:
A small (<3 cm.) copper and gray butterfly. Dorsal fore and hind wings are
bright copper with a broad dark border and large dark spots. Ventral side is
gray with dark spots and some orange on the fore wing and trailing edge of
the hind wing. Eggs, larvae, and pupae are hard to find and hard to identify.
Life History:
Adults fly between late May and late August, depending on elevation and
latitude. Larvae overwinter. Records of adults in WA are from August. Larvae
feed on Oxyria digyna (alpine sorrel) and several species of Rumex (dock).
Dornfeld (1980) says yarrow and pussy paws are common nectar sources.
Much of the habitat is in isolated patches. Colonization ability is not known.
Range, Distribution, and Abundance:
Range-wide: Found in mountains of western North America, in Washington,
central and southeast Oregon, Sierra Nevada of California, and Rocky
Mountains. Local between these ranges. Common in the Rockies and Great
Basin, becoming rare in the periphery of the range.
WA: One site (Slate Peak) is in Hinchliff (1996), but large areas of appropriate
habitat have not been surveyed. One known site, on Okanogan/Whatcom Co.
line. May occur elsewhere in the area. Also known in ID, near SE WA. May
occur in Blue Mountains. Habitat is extensive in Pasayten Wilderness.
Population size is unknown, but as with other invertebrates, less relevant to
status of the species than the number of occurrences.
OR: Numerous locations in central and southern OR. Found at high
elevations in the Ochoco, SE Cascades, and Steens Mountains.
Federal Land: The WA site is in Okanogan National Forest and partly in the
Pasayten Wilderness. It may occur in the Umatilla National Forest in WA. OR
sites are in the Malheur, Ochoco, Deschutes, and Fremont-Winema National
Forests. The species is likely to occur on BLM land in the Prineville, Burns,
Lakeview, and possibly the Medford and Roseburg districts.
Habitat Associations:
Habitat is mountain ridges and slopes, meadows, and talus fields.
Sometimes along streams in mountains. WA records are from between 2000
and 2300 meters.
Threats:
Range-wide: While most populations face few short-term threats, global
warming may threaten most populations because they occur at relatively
high elevation.
WA/OR: The Slate Peak site is near a parking lot and heavily trafficked area;
no threats documented at this time. Global warming probably poses a longterm threat.
Conservation Considerations:
Inventory: Additional surveys are needed in the north Cascades and along
the Snake River.
Management: The Slate Peak site known site should be checked periodically
to assess status and threats.
Other Pertinent Information:
References:
Global References:
Dornfeld, Ernst J. 1980. The Butterflies of Oregon. Timber Press, Forest Grove, Or.
276 pp.
Opler, P. A., and A. D. Warren. 2002. Butterflies of North America. 2. Scientific
Names List for Butterfly Species of North America, north of Mexico. C.P Gillette
Museum of Arthropod Diversity, Department of Bioagricultural Sciences and Pest
Management, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado. 79 pp.
Scott, James A. 1986. The Butterflies of North America: A Natural History and Field
Guide. Stanford University Press, Stanford CA. 583 pp.
Warren, A.D. 2005. Butterflies of Oregon: their taxonomy, distribution, and biology.
Lepidoptera of North America 6. C.P. Gillette Museum. Colorado State University.
Fort Collins, CO. 408 pp.
State References:
Guppy, C. S. and J. H. Shepard. 2001. Butterflies of British Columbia. UBC Press
(Vancouver, BC) and Royal British Columbia Museum (Victoria, BC). 414 pp.
Hinchliff, J. 1996. Records used in the atlas of butterfly records from Washington.
Unpublished
Pyle, R.M. 1989. Washington butterfly conservation status report. Report to WA Dpt.
Wildlife. 217 pp. unpub.
Pyle, R.M. 2002. The butterflies of Cascadia. Seattle Audubon Society. Seattle, WA.
420 pp.
Version:
Prepared by: John Fleckenstein
Natural Heritage Program
Washington Department of Natural Resources
Date: January 2006
Edited by: Rob Huff
Conservation Planning Coordinator
FS/BLM-Portland
June 2007