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 391 verified sightings
Observation date: Aug 09, 2005
Submitted by: papilio1
Region: Sierra County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Dec 01, 2024
Observation date: Aug 02, 2024
Submitted by: ncrosbyrd
Region: Douglas County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Sep 15, 2024
Observation date: Aug 20, 2024
Submitted by: MAKI
Region: Nevada County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Sep 03, 2024
Observation date: Aug 01, 2024
Submitted by: twofried
Region: Taos County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Aug 02, 2024
Observation date: Jul 25, 2024
Submitted by: topper72
Region: Sandoval County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jul 27, 2024
Observation date: Jul 11, 2024
Submitted by: Paul Prappas
Region: Plumas County, California, United States
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Jul 11, 2024
Observation date: Jul 07, 2024
Submitted by: Marta Reece
Region: Torrance County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jul 11, 2024
Observation date: Jun 19, 2024
Submitted by: ezeemonee
Region: Ventura County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 22, 2024
Observation date: Jul 25, 2023
Submitted by: icosahedron
Region: Santa Clara County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 16, 2024
Observation date: Jul 23, 2020
Submitted by: Robb Hannawacker
Region: San Juan County, Utah, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Sep 11, 2023
Observation date: Jul 27, 2023
Submitted by: ncrosbyrd
Region: El Paso County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Sep 09, 2023
Observation date: Jun 22, 2023
Submitted by: Robert Gorman
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 18, 2023
Observation date: Aug 13, 2023
Submitted by: Dobber31
Region: Mono County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 18, 2023
Observation date: Aug 15, 2023
Submitted by: shuckabone
Region: Siskiyou County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 16, 2023
Observation date: Jul 21, 2023
Submitted by: WYbutterflyer1
Region: Jefferson County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Jul 25, 2023
Observation date: Jul 20, 2023
Submitted by: Jon Kindschy
Region: Gunnison County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Jul 25, 2023
Observation date: Jul 21, 2023
Submitted by: topper72
Region: Sandoval County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jul 22, 2023
Observation date: Jun 21, 2023
Submitted by: Dobber31
Region: San Mateo County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 22, 2023
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
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