Violet Copper (Lycaena helle), family Lycaenidae, Eifel, Germany
photograph by Peter Groenendijk

seen from Singapore
seen from China
seen from Germany
seen from United States

seen from T1
seen from China
seen from United States
seen from China

seen from Germany
seen from United Kingdom
seen from Singapore
seen from China
seen from China
seen from Germany

seen from United States

seen from Malaysia
seen from China
seen from South Korea
seen from United States
seen from China
Violet Copper (Lycaena helle), family Lycaenidae, Eifel, Germany
photograph by Peter Groenendijk
#3706 - Lycaena tama - Canterbury Alpine Boulder Copper
Photo by @purrdence. She's certain done better that I usually do, trying to sneak up on these small alert butterflies.
Aotearoa has quite a variety of Lycaena butterflies, but many of them are still awaiting proper description. This one of the few that actually has been. This one is a male, showing some of the intense purple iridescence that distinguishs them from the females.
Here's a photo from the perfect angle -
photo by Mike Bowie on iNaturalist.
It was named tama as a distinct species by New Zealand lawyer, artist and amateur entomologist R. W. Fereday (1820-1899), after "a traditionary Maori chief of that name." Feredey collected at least 616 different species of moth and butterfly in New Zealand, and sent them back to scientists in Europe. He was also an advocate for using inspectors to control for pests in incoming goods, and for importing bumblebees to improve clover pollination.
L. tama lives in the Mackenzie Basin, the upper reachs of the Canterbury Plain, and the drier eastern slopes of the Southern Alps. The caterpillars feed on pohuehue (Muehlenbeckia complexa).
Ashburton Lakes, Aotearoa New Zealand.
Through Time - https://www.patreon.com/posts/122251385
Originally for Valentine's Day, a rare image of Lycaena smiling!
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@kosaciec submitted: Here's a couple cute beasts I managed to photograph! Would be nice to get ID for the butterfly , located in [removed] (please remove)
An excellent collection of little dudes! I'm afraid I'd really need clearer photos of the butterfly's markings to tell you what it is confidently. Mayyyyybe a copper in the genus Lycaena, and possibly a scarce copper.
Small Copper, Lycaena phlaeas Canon 400D EF 100 2.8 f/ 3.5 1/250 iso: 250 Milovice, Czech Republic 9/11/2008
Dukatsommerfugl (Lycaena virgaureae)
Scarce Copper (Lycaena virgaureae)
Lycaena butterfly * male - female *
sandracaleffi
Violet Copper