The Lycaenidae or copper butterfly are a large family of butterflies, also known as the gossamer-winged butterflies. They comprise about 40 % of all known butterfly species. Subfamilies include the blues Polyommatinae, the coppers Lycaeninae, the hairstreaks Theclinae and the harvesters Miletinae.

Lycaenids feed on various kinds of food including ferns, conifers, fungi, lichens, cycads, homopterans and ant larvae.

Not all Lycaenidae butterflies need ants, certain members of this family can not complete their lifecycle without the association of a particular ant. The term used to describe this is a myrmecophilous (living symbiotically with ants) relationship. Eggs are laid on a certain plant on which the larva feeds for the first three instars, however, on the fourth instar the larva leaves the plant, falls to the ground and is adopted by an ant colony. It becomes a parasite for the ants, the caterpillars pupate inside the ants nest and the ants continue to look after the pupae. Just before the adult emerges the wings of the butterfly inside the pupal case detach from it, and the pupa becomes silvery. The adult butterfly emerges from the pupa after 3-4 weeks, still inside the ant nest. The butterfly must crawl out of the ant nest before it can expand its wings.

Some species:

• Spalgis epius, Apefly
• Polyommatus icarus, Common Blue
• Polyommatus semiargus, Mazarine Blue
• Euphilotes battoides allyni, El Segundo blue butterfly
• Atlides halesus, Great Purple Hairstreak
• Maculinea arion, Large blue butterfly
• Glaucopsyche lygdamus palosverdesensis, Palos Verdes Blue
• Glaucopsyche xerces (extinct), Xerces Blue
• Eumaeus atala, Atala
• Pseudozizeeria maha, Pale Grass Blue
• Lycaena boldenarum
• Lycaena feredayi
• Lycaena rauparaha
• Lycaena salustius

References

• Venktesha, M. G. (2005). Why is homopterophagous butterfly, Spalgis epius (Westwood) (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) amyrmecophilous? Current Science 89 (2), 245–246.

External links

• Tree of Life
• BugGuide.net

Butterflies

Lycaenidae | Blåfugle (sommerfugle) | Bläulinge | Lycaenidae | Lycaenidae | 부전나빗과 | Melsviai | Lycaenidae | シジミチョウ | Modraszkowate | Lycaenidae | Голубянки