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Lycaena dorcas Fabricius, 1807
Coppers; Dorcas Copper
Family: Lycaenidae (Gossamer Wings)
Species account authors: Crispin Guppy and Jon Shepard.
Extracted from Butterflies of British Columbia.
Introduction to the Lepidoptera of BC
Introduction to the Butterflies of BC
The Families of Lepidoptera of BC

Photograph

© Jeremy Gatten     (Photo ID #6007)

Map

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Distribution of Lycaena dorcas in British Columbia.
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Source: Butterflies of British Columbia by Crispin Guppy and Jon Shepard © Royal BC Museum

Illustration

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Illustration Source: : Butterflies of British Columbia by Crispin Guppy and Jon Shepard © Royal BC Museum

Species Information


Adult

In the Dorcas Copper and the remaining species of coppers, the uppersides of the wings of males are purple instead of copper, blue, or brown. The females are brown on the uppersides of the wings, with a yellow/orange flush on the forewings and rarely on the hindwings. The Dorcas Copper and the Purplish Copper are very similar in general appearance, with the undersides of the wings having a typical copper pattern. The Dorcas Copper is smaller than the Purplish Copper, with the submarginal orange area on its ventral hindwing less conspicuous.

Immature Stages

Newcomb (1910) described the immatures. The eggs are white when laid. The larva is pale green to blue green. The individual pupae were variously coloured from green to various dark patterns.

Subspecies

BC populations of the Dorcas Copper are the nominate subspecies, L.d. dorcas W. Kirby, 1837 (TL: The Pas, MB). It is found in boreal forest habitat from northern BC to PQ. In the Maritimes it is replaced by an endemic subspecies.

Genus Description


The name Lycaena is most likely derived from the Greek Lukaios (Arcadian), as several of the species names are those of Arcadian shepherds (Emmet 1991). The common name refers to the copper-coloured wings of most species. It was first used in North America by Emmons (1854).

The characteristics given for the subfamily also define the genus as used in BC. The larvae of northern Palearctic species all feed on plants of the family Polygonaceae, such as Rumex (dock/sorrel) and Polygonum (knotweed). Most North American species also feed on these genera, but some feed on Eriogonum or Oxyria (Polygonaceae), Potentilla (Rosaceae), and Vaccinium (Ericaceae). There are 15 North American species, of which nine occur in BC.

Biology


The Dorcas Copper is univoltine, flying from mid-July to early August. Newcomb (1910) first reared it on Pentaphylloides floribunda (Rosaceae), which the Dorcas Copper apparently uses throughout its range. This is an unusual larval foodplant family for North American coppers. Newcomb (1910) noted that the egg is attached to a leaflet, the species overwinters as an egg, the eggs hatch in April, and the Dorcas Copper completes its larval development and pupates just weeks before the adult emerges.

Habitat


The Dorcas Copper is found at lower elevations throughout the northern parts of BC in boreal forest habitat. In the central part of BC, it is often associated with bogs, such as the "Cranberry Bog" south of Valemont.

Distribution

Distribution

The Dorcas Copper is found from BC east to NF and the Great Lakes states.

Status Information

Origin StatusProvincial StatusBC List
(Red Blue List)		COSEWIC
NativeS5YellowNot Listed



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