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 193 - 216 of 397 verified sightings
Observation date: Jul 24, 1982
Submitted by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Region: Tulare County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Aug 27, 2009
Observation date: Jun 21, 1981
Submitted by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Region: Tulare County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Aug 27, 2009
Observation date: Jul 03, 1991
Submitted by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Region: Madera County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Aug 27, 2009
Observation date: Aug 04, 1975
Submitted by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Region: Mono County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Aug 27, 2009
Observation date: May 29, 1979
Submitted by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Region: Kern County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Aug 27, 2009
Observation date: Aug 01, 2004
Submitted by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Region: Mono County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Aug 27, 2009
Observation date: May 25, 1990
Submitted by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Region: Kern County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Aug 27, 2009
Observation date: Aug 26, 1983
Submitted by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Region: Tulare County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Aug 27, 2009
Observation date: Jul 05, 1985
Submitted by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Region: Tulare County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Aug 27, 2009
Observation date: Jul 28, 1989
Submitted by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Region: Mariposa County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Aug 27, 2009
Observation date: Jun 23, 1987
Submitted by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Region: Mariposa County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Aug 27, 2009
Observation date: Jul 09, 2004
Submitted by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Region: Mono County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Aug 27, 2009
Observation date: May 31, 1977
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Mike Smith)
Region: Kern County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Aug 27, 2009
Observation date: Jun 04, 1987
Submitted by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Region: Kern County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Aug 27, 2009
Observation date: Aug 30, 1986
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Al Rubbert)
Region: Tulare County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Aug 27, 2009
Observation date: Jun 22, 1987
Submitted by: paulopler (Paul Opler)
Region: Madera County, California, United States
Verified by: paulopler (Paul Opler)
Verified date: Aug 27, 2009
Observation date: Sep 01, 1965
Submitted by: paulopler (Paul Opler)
Region: Mono County, California, United States
Verified by: paulopler (Paul Opler)
Verified date: Aug 27, 2009
Observation date: May 23, 1961
Submitted by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Region: Kern County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Aug 27, 2009
Observation date: Jul 29, 1999
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Mark Walker)
Region: Mono County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Aug 27, 2009
Observation date: Jun 09, 1990
Submitted by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Region: Kern County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Aug 27, 2009
Observation date: Jul 03, 2005
Submitted by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Region: Tulare County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Aug 27, 2009
Observation date: Aug 08, 1979
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Phil Nordin)
Region: Tulare County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Aug 27, 2009
Observation date: Jul 14, 1966
Submitted by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Region: Mariposa County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Aug 27, 2009
Observation date: Jul 20, 1986
Submitted by: Norbert Kondla (Norbert Kondla)
Region: Mono County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Aug 27, 2009
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