Lucia (butterfly)
| Lucia | |
|---|---|
| Lucia limbaria | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Lycaenidae |
| Tribe: | Luciini |
| Genus: | Lucia Swainson, 1833 |
| Species: | L. limbaria
|
| Binomial name | |
| Lucia limbaria (Swainson, 1833)
| |
Lucia is a butterfly genus in the family Lycaenidae. It is monotypic, containing only the species Lucia limbaria, the small copper, of Australia.[1]
Lucia limbaria is commonly known as the chequered copper butterfly, grassland copper butterfly or small copper butterfly.
The tiny, endemic though rarely-seen butterfly, has been found in sporadic locations, in south eastern South Australia, south western Victoria and as far north as central Queensland.[2] Lucia limbaria is very dependent on Iridomyrmex rufoniger.
Its host plant Oxalis perennans is a native sorrel or creeping yellow oxalis, although it possibly also now makes use of the non-native Oxalis corniculata ssp corniculata (sometimes called yellow wood sorrel, often known in South Australia as sour sob).[3]
References
- ^ "Lucia Swainson, 1833" at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms
- ^ iNaturalist, Lucia limbaria Observations map
- ^ South Australian Butterflies and Moths (by Roger Grund, website managed by Butterfly Conservation SA) https://www.sabutterflies.org.au/lyca/limbaria.html