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nzButterfly.info > New Zealand Species > Resident Species > Coppers > Common Copper > Variations

Common Copper pictures of variations

Lycaena salustius

Lowland North Island Variation

Lowland North Island Male © Mike Lusk	Lowland North Island Female Tony Wills

This variation has the largest wingspan at about 30mm, has fairly consistent colouration, but with less black spots & narrower lines along the veins. It does have the greatest sexual dimorphism where the females have substantially darker bands on the wings then the males, this lead to the idea of a sub-species (L S Maui) mentioned at the bottom of this page.

Mountain Variation

Mountain Variation Male © R Arter-Williamson	Mountain Variation Female © Taffy Parry

With a wingspan about 27mm, the males copper is slightly duller & has broader black markings which merge at the wing bases. On the female the blue patches are more predominant.

Note: This is published in other publications as the Cook Strait coast & Southern Alps Variation. I have seen several Common Coppers that match this description in Whirinaki Forest Park & have being provided pictures from upland Hawkes Bay of similar looking specimens.

Lowland South Island Variation

Lowland South Island Male © R Arter-Williamson	Lowland South Island Female © Jérôme Albre

This has the smallest wingspan of 26-28mm, they have a wider black band around the wing tips.

Sub-species

There is a sub-species mentioned in literature, L S Maui (was Chrysophanus maui), but this is a brighter copper-orange colouration of the main species & is only recorded in the male population. This is really the Lowland North Island Variation & hardly constitutes a sub-species to me as it would have to include both genders, which L S Maui does not.

nzButterfly.info > New Zealand Species > Resident Species > Coppers > Common Copper > Variations