3 Bathurst or Purple Copper Butterfly at suppressed
Identification history
| Paralucia spinifera | 22 Aug 2022 | canberrabutterflies | ||
| Paralucia spinifera | 22 Aug 2022 | DPRees125 |
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Significant sighting
User's notes
another new location for me, female seen on foodplant,
6 comments
MichaelMulvaney
wrote:
23 Aug 2022
Excellent I am wondering whether the ACT may be a stronghold for this threatened species @nath_kay @wadey this is exciting for Namadgi but can you please note all the locations - their food plant is blackthorn so may be susceptible to prescribed burns and defiantly wildlife - would be interesting to match locations against the recent burn history. @canberrrabutterflies do they pupate on blackthorn as well? or are pupa cases likely to be on other plants?
MichaelMulvaney
wrote:
23 Aug 2022
I did a bit of research into my own questions by reading the action plan for the species. It actually pupates in the burrow of its attendant ant and although blackthorn is pretty flammable it does sucker after fire so that frequent fire seems to favour the butterfly as blackthorn is capable of spreading and renewing post fire. However fire from late July to February is likely to kill adults and caterpillars.
MatthewFrawley
wrote:
23 Aug 2022
I found the Fiery Copper in Mount Taylor Nature Reserve in Bursaria that was just growing back after a controlled burn a season or two before. When we saw them, Suzi was actually surprised because she couldn't see any obvious Bursaria and I had to point out the tiny regrowth and explain the history of the area.
DPRees125
wrote:
23 Aug 2022
The area these were found in burnt in summer 2019/20 during that awful fire. There is lots of fresh looking Bursaria about. the ants may be OK under rocks etc. I suspect what we are seeing is a post-fire spike in abundance of this critter that probably has been in this landscape at a low level for 'ever', unnoticed. I think they like an relatively open environment with plenty of sunny spots in order to fly at this time of year. I am of the opinion that there is a substantial population of this species there, spread over quite an area of rough country.
nathkay
wrote:
25 Aug 2022
Great record, thanks all. We will note locations for consideration in any future management actions.
MichaelMulvaney
wrote:
25 Aug 2022
Thanks Nathan - I also gather than Renee Brawata in CR is across this Butterfly and its management. Very Ironic that Coop's over achievement looks like to have been a great benefit to this endangered butterfly
Sighting information
- 4 - 15 Abundance
- 21 Aug 2022 03:31 PM Recorded on
- DPRees125 Recorded by
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Priority species lists
ACT Most Wanted!
Additional information
- 5mm to 12mm Animal size
- Mixed Gender
Species information
- Paralucia spinifera Scientific name
- Bathurst or Purple Copper Butterfly Common name
- Highly Sensitive
- Very rare / threatened
- Non-Invasive
- 273 images trained Machine learning
- External link More information
Record quality
- Images or audio
- More than one media file
- Confirmed by an expert moderator
- Nearby sighting(s) of same species
- GPS evidence of location
- Description
- Additional attributes
