Tailed Copper
Lycaena arota (Boisduval, 1852)
Family: Lycaenidae
Subfamily: Lycaeninae
Identification: Each hindwing of both sexes has a tail. Upper surface of male copper-brown with iridescent purple sheen; female with orange and dark brown pattern. Underside of both sexes gray; forewing with black spots, hindwing with black scrawls and a band of submarginal white crescents.
Wing Span: 1 1/8 - 1 3/8 inches (3 - 3.5 cm).
Life History: Males perch in open areas, often near watercourses or ravines, in the morning to watch for females. Eggs are laid singly on host plant or on debris under it, and hibernate until the following spring. Caterpillars eat leaves.
Flight: One flight from May-August.
Caterpillar Hosts: Leaves of gooseberry and currant (Ribes species) in the Grossulariaceae family.
Adult Food: Flower nectar.
Habitat: Open mixed woodland, sagebrush, chaparral.
Range: New Mexico north and west to Oregon, south to southern California and Baja California.
Conservation: Clouded copper, subspecies nubila, has greatly declined in the vicinity of Los Angeles, California. Lycaena arota nubila has The Nature Conservancy rank of T1 - Critically imperiled because of extreme rarity (5 or fewer occurrences, or very few remaining individuals), or because of some factor of its biology making it especially vulnerable to extinction. (Critically endangered throughout its range).
NCGR:
Management Needs: Conserve remaining habitat of clouded copper. Consider habitat rehabilitation and reintroduction.
Comments: NULL
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 1 - 24 of 373 verified sightings
Observation date: May 26, 2022
Submitted by: Dobber31
Region: San Mateo County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Nov 01, 2022
Observation date: Aug 22, 2022
Submitted by: MAKI
Region: Lincoln County, Nevada, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Oct 11, 2022
Observation date: Aug 14, 2022
Submitted by: Chrustay
Region: Cibola County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Aug 18, 2022
Observation date: Aug 14, 2022
Submitted by: tjay13
Region: Sandoval County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Aug 18, 2022
Observation date: Jul 12, 2022
Submitted by: twofried
Region: Taos County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jul 16, 2022
Observation date: Jul 09, 2022
Submitted by: DeepSkyKelly
Region: Colfax County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jul 13, 2022
Observation date: May 27, 2021
Submitted by: yhelfman
Region: Santa Clara County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Mar 30, 2022
Observation date: Aug 01, 1981
Submitted by: stevecary
Region: Colfax County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Mar 19, 2022
Observation date: Jul 16, 1994
Submitted by: stevecary
Region: Mora County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Mar 19, 2022
Observation date: Jun 30, 1985
Submitted by: stevecary
Region: Union County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Mar 19, 2022
Observation date: Jul 15, 2010
Submitted by: stevecary
Region: Union County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Mar 19, 2022
Observation date: Sep 22, 2021
Submitted by: glennfine
Region: Siskiyou County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Nov 18, 2021
Observation date: Aug 02, 2017
Submitted by: Mark Salvato
Region: Alpine County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Nov 16, 2021
Observation date: Aug 03, 2017
Submitted by: Mark Salvato
Region: Mono County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Nov 16, 2021
Observation date: Aug 26, 2021
Submitted by: Aner
Region: Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Sep 09, 2021
Observation date: Jul 30, 2021
Submitted by: frogbandit
Region: El Paso County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Sep 08, 2021
Observation date: Aug 20, 2021
Submitted by: Nature Man 6
Region: Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Aug 24, 2021
Observation date: Aug 11, 2021
Submitted by: Joshua C
Region: Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Aug 24, 2021
Observation date: Aug 04, 2021
Submitted by: glennfine
Region: Siskiyou County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 07, 2021
Observation date: Jul 19, 2021
Submitted by: twofried
Region: Taos County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jul 24, 2021
Observation date: Jul 17, 2021
Submitted by: Reneerob17
Region: Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jul 22, 2021
Observation date: Jul 08, 2021
Submitted by: Aner
Region: Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jul 10, 2021
Observation date: Jun 27, 2021
Submitted by: Chrustay
Region: New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jun 29, 2021
Observation date: Jun 24, 2021
Submitted by: sarabseth
Region: San Mateo County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 28, 2021
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