Paralucia pyrodiscus

Paralucia pyrodiscus (Doubleday, 1847)
(one synonym : Chrysophanus aenea)
Eltham Copper
LUCIINI , THECLINAE , LYCAENIDAE

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

(updated 13 June 2008)

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

These Caterpillars are an endangered species in some parts of Australia. They feed on the leaves of various plants from the Pittosporum family ( PITTOSPORACEAE ) :

Prickly Box ( Bursaria incana ),

Sweet Bursaria ( Bursaria spinosa ), and

Prickly Pittosporum ( Pittosporum spinescens ).

They are attended by ants of the genus :

Notoncus ( FORMICINAE ).

The Caterpillars feed nocturnally, resting by day in an ant nest at the foot of the foodplant.

(Photo: courtesy of Martin Purvis, Sydney)

The adult butterflies upper surfaces are brown with a yellow patch on each wing. Underneath they are paler with dark zigzag lines. The butterflies have wingspans up to about 3 cms.

The eggs are white and cylindrical, with a pit in th top. Their height is about 1 mm. They are laid in loose clusters of one to a dozen on or near the base of a foodplant bush.

The species is common in Queensland and New South Wales, but only survives in a few pockets in Victoria, and in South Australia. Two races have been recognised :

lucida, and

pyrodiscus,

although the variation seen in the butterflies may just be a climatic adaptation.