Lycaenidae
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1 of the 39 species in the drawer belong to this family.
Photos marked Reference photo come from museum collections and open-licence archives, credited on each page, until Lucy photographs her own specimens. The drawer travels to some pop-ups; what Lucy brings varies from one pop-up to the next.
- All39
- Papilionidae5
- Nymphalidae26
- Pieridae2
- Riodinidae2
- Lycaenidae1
- Sphingidae1
- Saturniidae1
- Uraniidae1
Lycaenidae
1 speciesFrom published sources, not from Lucy’s catalog. Each note lists where it came from.
Overview
Lycaenidae is a family of small butterflies, often called gossamer-wings. It is usually split into three familiar groups: coppers, blues and hairstreaks. Many species have bright wings, often iridescent blue, red or orange, and some look metallic. In many species the caterpillars live alongside ants. Special glands on the caterpillar give off a sugary liquid that the ants feed on, and in return the ants guard the caterpillar from predators and parasitoids.
What sets them apart
Sources point to several features that help identify the family. Adults are small and delicate, and the upper side of the wings is often iridescent blue, copper or bronze. In most species the antennae have alternating black and white bands. The head is fairly narrow, and the eyes are indented or curve slightly around the base of the antennae. Many hairstreaks have thin, hair-like tails on the hindwings, but not all of them do. Males often have modified front legs while females have normal front legs.
Representative genera
Lycaena is a good example genus for the family. It holds many of the coppers, which typically have bright coppery orange on the upper side of the wings.
Common mix-ups
Coppers, blues and hairstreaks are not separate families. They are groups (subfamilies) inside the single family Lycaenidae. Also, the group names do not always match how a butterfly looks. A 'blue' may only be blue on top, or only in males, and its underside can be quite a different color, such as gray-white or green.
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