Lucia is a butterfly genus in the family Lycaenidae. It is monotypic, containing only the species Lucia limbaria, the small copper, of Australia. [1]
Lucia limbaria is commonly known as the Chequered Copper, Grassland Copper or Small Copper. The tiny, endemic though rarely seen butterfly, has been found in sporadic locations, in south eastern South Australia, south western Victoria and as far north as central Queensland[2]. A member of the LYCAENIDAE family, blues and coppers, most of which have some sort of relationship with ants, Lucia limbaria is very dependent on the small black ants, Iridomyrmex rufoniger.
It's host plant Oxalis perennans, is a native sorrel or Creeping Yellow Oxalis and possibly Oxalis corniculata ssp corniculata or Yellow Wood-sorrel.[3]
Lucia | |
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Lucia limbaria | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Lepidoptera |
Family: | Lycaenidae |
Tribe: | Luciini |
Genus: | Lucia Swainson, 1833 |
Species: | L. limbaria |
Binomial name | |
Lucia limbaria (Swainson, 1833) | |
Oxalis is a large genus of flowering plants in the wood-sorrel family, Oxalidaceae, comprising over 550 species. The genus occurs throughout most of the world, except for the polar areas; species diversity is particularly rich in tropical Brazil, Mexico, and South Africa.
Oxalis corniculata, the creeping woodsorrel, procumbent yellow sorrel or sleeping beauty, is a somewhat delicate-appearing, low-growing herbaceous plant in the family Oxalidaceae.
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Sourgrass is a common name given to several plant species which have a sour taste. Most are in fact not grasses:
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Oxalis spiralis, the spiral sorrel, is a species of plant of the genus Oxalis, a member of the wood sorrel family Oxalidaceae.
Oxalis latifolia is a species of flowering plant in the woodsorrel family known by the common names garden pink-sorrel and broadleaf woodsorrel. It is native to Mexico and parts of Central and South America. However, it has propagated to other parts of the world.
The bright copper is a butterfly belonging to the family Lycaenidae.
The silky hairstreak or chlorinda hairstreak is a butterfly belonging to the family Lycaenidae. The species was first described by Emile Blanchard in 1848. It occurs in Australia. It is the only species in the monotypic genus Pseudalmenus, described by Hamilton Herbert Druce in 1902.
Aloeides margaretae, the Marguarite's copper, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in South Africa, where it is known from the western coast and along the south coast in the Western Cape.
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The fiery copper or dull copper is an endemic Australian butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. One of the two subspecies, P. p. lucida, is commonly known as the Eltham copper.
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Oxalis debilis, the large-flowered pink-sorrel or pink woodsorrel, is a perennial plant and herb in the family Oxalidaceae. Its original distribution is South America but has become a very cosmopolitan species, occurring in all continents except Antarctica. It can be found in both temperate and tropical areas.
Oxalis exilis, the least yellow sorrel or shady woodsorrel, is a small herbaceous plant found in Australia and New Zealand. It is mainly found in hillsides and weedy areas. It is the smallest species of Oxalis in New Zealand. The colors of the leaves range from green to purple. The capsule and style length vary from 4–6.5 mm.
2. ^ iNaturalist, Lucia limbaria Observations map 3. ^ South Australian Butterflies and Moths (by Roger Grund, website managed by Butterfly Conservation SA) https://www.sabutterflies.org.au/lyca/limbaria.html