Paralucia aurifer

Paralucia aurifer (Blanchard, [1848])
(previously known as Thecla aurifer)
Bright Copper
LUCIINI , THECLINAE , LYCAENIDAE

Don Herbison-Evans ( donherbisonevans@yahoo.com )
&
Stella Crossley

(Photo: courtesy of P. and M. Coupar, Museum Victoria)

This Caterpillar is green, brown or grey, with a dark dorsal stripe and diagonal markings. It has a black head, prothorax and tail. The Caterpillar can evert a pair of tentacles from the tail. The Caterpillar is always attended by :

Black Ants ( Anonychomyrma nitidiceps, DOLICHODERINAE ).

The Caterpillar feeds nocturnally on :

Sweet Bursaria ( Bursaria spinosa, PITTOSPORACEAE ), and

Pittosporum multiflorus ( PITTOSPORACEAE ).

By day, the Caterpillar typically hides in an ants nest at the foot of the food tree.

The Caterpillar also pupates in the ants nest.

male
(Photo: courtesy of Martin Purvis, Ingleburn, NSW))

The adults are dark brown on top with a purple sheen, and have a yellow patch on each wing, and an arc of blue dashes along the rear wing margins. Underneath, they are pale brown, with a number of outlined fawn patches.

male
(Photo: courtesy of Martin Purvis, Ingleburn, NSW))

The wings of the males are rather pointed and the wings of the females rounded; at the apex and tornus. The butterflies have a wing span of about 3 cms.

female
(Photo: courtesy of Martin Purvis, Ingleburn, NSW))

Restricted to bushland where its spiny foodplant is not cleared, this shy little copper is usually only seen within the vicinity of the host. The species occurs in southern Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, and also South Australia, and Tasmania.

female
(Photo: courtesy of Martin Purvis, Ingleburn, NSW))