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 73 - 96 of 396 verified sightings
Observation date: Aug 06, 2018
Submitted by: Robert Gorman
Region: Mono County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 15, 2018
Observation date: Jul 27, 2018
Submitted by: dbrudin
Region: Saguache County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Aug 13, 2018
Observation date: Aug 09, 2018
Submitted by: Jim and Debby
Region: Siskiyou County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 09, 2018
Observation date: Aug 18, 2017
Submitted by: glennfine
Region: Siskiyou County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jul 13, 2018
Observation date: Jun 16, 2018
Submitted by: ncrosbyrd
Region: Los Angeles County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 28, 2018
Observation date: Jun 08, 2018
Submitted by: Robert Gorman
Region: Orange County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 25, 2018
Observation date: Jun 21, 2018
Submitted by: Souledout
Region: Siskiyou County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 25, 2018
Observation date: Jun 02, 2018
Submitted by: TomPeterson
Region: Santa Clara County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 05, 2018
Observation date: Jul 27, 2017
Submitted by: thomass
Region: Montezuma County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Jan 07, 2018
Observation date: Sep 01, 2017
Submitted by: abwest
Region: Mariposa County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Sep 12, 2017
Observation date: Aug 04, 2017
Submitted by: jjweber
Region: Colfax County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Sep 05, 2017
Observation date: Aug 22, 2016
Submitted by: JulieArington
Region: Routt County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Sep 12, 2016
Observation date: Jun 16, 2016
Submitted by: TPeterson
Region: Santa Clara County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 18, 2016
Observation date: Jun 06, 2016
Submitted by: Bdog
Region: Los Angeles County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 08, 2016
Observation date: Jun 05, 2016
Submitted by: John Koerner
Region: Los Angeles County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 06, 2016
Observation date: Aug 20, 2015
Submitted by: Selwyn Quan
Region: Placer County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Sep 06, 2015
Observation date: Jun 28, 2015
Submitted by: Selwyn Quan
Region: Santa Clara County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jul 02, 2015
Observation date: May 25, 2015
Submitted by: Selwyn Quan
Region: Santa Clara County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: May 30, 2015
Observation date: Jul 17, 2005
Submitted by: Scott E. Severs
Region: Garfield County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: azukoff
Verified date: May 13, 2015
Observation date: Jun 22, 2014
Submitted by: Robert Gorman
Region: Riverside County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 26, 2014
Observation date: Jun 22, 2014
Submitted by: Robert Gorman
Region: Riverside County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 26, 2014
Observation date: Jun 22, 2014
Submitted by: Robert Gorman
Region: Riverside County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 23, 2014
Observation date: Jun 22, 2014
Submitted by: Robert Gorman
Region: Riverside County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 23, 2014
Observation date: Jun 01, 2014
Submitted by: badyak
Region: Santa Clara County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 02, 2014
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