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Gorgon Copper Lycaena gorgon Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae Icehouse Canyon, Mount Baldy, CA Photo copyright: Peter J. Bryant (pjbryant@uci.edu)
and Jack N. Levy. Contact for originals. |
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Characteristics: Male--purplish brown on ventral wing surfaces; female-brown with yellow checkering. Forewing length: 17-19 mm. Similar Species: Closely resembles Lycaena xanthoides. The ventral wing surfaces of the Gorgon Copper have extensive black markings (with some red spots on the hindwing) which distinguish it from xanthoides. It is similar in appearance but larger than the Purplish Copper (Lycaena helloides). Habitats, Behavior: A fast flyer, which often visits buckwheat (Eriogonum spp.) flowers. Distribution: Populations are scattered and spotty through the Santa Ana Mountains. The butterfly is recorded primarily from the canyons. Flight Period: One brood in Orange County flying from May to early July, but most common in June. Larval Foodplants: Emmel and Emmel (1973) list the foodplant as Buckwheat (Eriogonum elongatum). In Orange County, this species is local in occurrence, but is usually common where found. A few plants have been found at Upper Newport Bay, although gorgon as yet is unrecorded from that location. E. elongatum is often found on roadcuts and gravelly streambed sites in the Santa Ana Mountains. Other Remarks: Records range from approximately 2000 feet up to the highest point in Orange County, 5687 feet. I have captured Lycaena gorgon along water courses (Silvered Canyon) and on Cirsium sp. (thistle). The species is rarely common in the Santa Ana Mountains but is widely distributed. From Orsak, L. J. (1977). The Butterflies of Orange County, California. Center for Pathobiology Miscellaneous Publication #3. University of California Press, New York. 349pp. Return to Butterflies and their larval foodplants |
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