BC Conservation Data Centre: Species Summary
Lycaena dione
Dione Copper
| Scientific Name: | Lycaena dione (Scudder, 1868) | ||||||||||
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| English Name: | Dione Copper | ||||||||||
| Classification / Taxonomy | |||||||||||
| Scientific Name - Concept Reference: | Pelham, J. P. 2008. A catalogue of the butterflies of the United States and Canada with a complete bibliography of the descriptive and systematic literature. The Journal of Research on the Lepidoptera. Volume 40. 658 pp. Revised 14 February, 2012. | ||||||||||
| Classification Level: | Species | ||||||||||
| Species Group: | Invertebrate Animal | ||||||||||
| Species Code: | LE-LYCDIO | ||||||||||
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| Conservation Status / Legal Designation | |||||||||||
| Global Status: | G5 (Dec 2020) | ||||||||||
| Provincial Status: | S3 (Apr 2024) | ||||||||||
| BC List: | Blue | ||||||||||
| Provincial FRPA list: | |||||||||||
| Provincial Wildlife Act: | |||||||||||
| COSEWIC Status: | |||||||||||
| SARA Schedule: | |||||||||||
| General Status Canada: | 6 - Not Assessed (2000) | ||||||||||
| Ecology & Life History | |||||||||||
| General Description: | |||||||||||
| Subspecies Comments: | There are no described subspecies for Lycaena dione (COSEWIC 2005i). | ||||||||||
| Identification Comments: | Dorsal wing surfaces are an overall dark grey. The wing edges are fringed with a distinct pale orange and black band. There are three to five distinct black spots on towards the front of the wings. Ventral wing surfaces are an overall light grey with distinct black spotting. Sexes similar with a wingspan > 3 cm. The eggs are an overall white (COSEWIC 2005i; Guppy and Shepard 2001) and the larvae a greenish to greenish yellow or orange colouration, with dark orange stripes running dorsally down the body (Layberry et al. 1998). | ||||||||||
| Migration Characteristics: (Global / Provincial) | |||||||||||
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Nonmigrant: Local Migrant: Distant Migrant: Within Borders Migrant: |
N / Y N / N N / N na / N |
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| Provincial Mobility & Migration Comments: | Lycaena dione is thought to disperse distances of 500 metres (COSEWIC 2005i). The species is non-migrant. | ||||||||||
| Habitats: (Type / Subtype / Dependence) |
Agriculture / Pasture/Old Field / Facultative - frequent use
Grassland/Shrub / Grassland / Facultative - frequent use Grassland/Shrub / Meadow / Facultative - frequent use Lakes / Lake / Obligate Lakes / Pond/Open Water / Obligate Riparian / Gravel Bar / Obligate Riparian / Riparian Forest / Obligate Riparian / Riparian Herbaceous / Obligate Riparian / Riparian Shrub / Obligate |
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| Global Habitat Comments: | Wet areas in prairie, fields, along ditches etc. | ||||||||||
| Provincial Habitat Comments: | Lycaena dione is known to inhabit wet areas including old fields, meadows, prairies, the edges of openings, roadsides and right-of way edges, streamside edges, grasslands, and open areas with periodic human disturbance (Opler et al. 1995; Layberry et al. 1998; Guppy and Shepard 2001; COSEWIC 2005i). Larval plant species often grow under cattails along wetland edges (Guppy and Shepard 2001). | ||||||||||
| Food Habits: |
Herbivore:Immature
Nectarivore: Adult |
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| Global Food Habits Comments: | Caterpillar Hosts: Several species of docks (Rumex). Adult Food: Flower nectar of various plants including alfalfa, sweet clover, and milkweeds (Lotts and Naberhaus 2017). | ||||||||||
| Provincial Food Habits Comments: | The larvae feed upon Rumex spp. plants (Rumex longifolius; R. obtusifolius; R. hymenosepalus; R. conglomeratus; R. crispus; R. obtusifolia; R. altissimus; R. mexicanus; R. salicifolius triangulivalis; R. occidentalis) (COSEWIC 2005i) and possibly Polygonum amphibium (Guppy and Shepard 2001). The species does not appear to use other foodplants (COSEWIC 2005i). Adults nectar on alfalfa, sweet clover and milkweeds (Opler et al. 1995) | ||||||||||
| Global Phenology: | |||||||||||
| Provincial Phenology: (1st half of month/ 2nd half of month) |
Jan: Present / Present
Feb: Present / Present Mar: Present / Present Apr: Present / Present May: Larvae present and active / Larvae present and active June: Larvae present and active / Larvae present and active July: Larvae present and active / Reproducing Aug: Reproducing / Eggs present outside adult Sept: Eggs present outside adult / Larvae present and active Oct: Present / Present Nov: Present / Present Dec: Present / Present |
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| Provincial Phenology Comments: | Adults fly from mid July to mid August (Guppy and Shepard 2001). | ||||||||||
| Colonial Breeder: | N | ||||||||||
| Length(cm)/width(cm)/Weight(g): | / / | ||||||||||
| Elevation (m) (min / max): |
Global:
Provincial: 800 / 1000 |
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| Distribution | |||||||||||
| Endemic: | N | ||||||||||
| Global Range Comment: | This species occurs in northern Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, eastern Colorado, southeastern British Columbia, southern Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta, south to central Illinois, central Missouri, northern Texas, and northeastern New Mexico (Opler and Wright 1999, Layberrry et al. 1998). | ||||||||||
| Authors / Contributors | |||||||||||
| Global Information Author: | |||||||||||
| Last Updated: | May 10, 2001 | ||||||||||
| Provincial Information Author: | Heron, J. | ||||||||||
| Last Updated: | Aug 01, 2008 | ||||||||||
| References and Related Literature | |||||||||||
COSEWIC 2005i. Draft COSEWIC Status Report on Grey Copper (Lycaena dione) in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. 21pp. |
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Guppy, C.S., and J.H. Shepard. 2001. Butterflies of British Columbia. UBC Press in collaboration with Royal B.C. Mus. 414pp. |
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Kondla, N.G. and W.D. Nicholson. 2002. Field surveys for the Dione Copper butterfly. Report prepared for the Columbia Basin Trust and Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program. BC Hydro, B.C. Gov. and Columbia Basin Trust 24pp. |
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Kondla, N.G., C.S. Guppy, and J.H. Shepard. 2000. Butterflies of Conservation Interest in Alberta, British Columbia, and Yukon. Pp. 95-100 in L.M. Darling, ed. 2000. Proc. Conf. on the Biology and Manage. Species and Habitats at Risk, Kamloops, B.C., 15 - 19 Feb., 1999. Vol. 1; B.C. Minist. Environ., Lands and Parks, Victoria, BC, and Univ. College of the Cariboo, Kamloops, BC. 490pp. |
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Layberry, R. A., P. W. Hall, and J. D. LaFontaine. 1998. The butterflies of Canada. University of Toronto Press. 280pp. + color plates. |
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Opler, P.A., H. Pavulaan, and R.E. Stanford. 1995. Butterflies of North America. Jamestown, ND: Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center Home Page: Version Dec. 12, 2003. Online. Available: http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/distr/lepid/bflyusa/bflyusa.htm |
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Shepard, J.H. (coordinator). 1990. Zone 2. Pacific Northwest: Idaho, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia in 1989 Season Summary. News of the Lepidopterists' Society 1990: 14-15. |
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Please visit the website Conservation Status Ranks for definitions of the data fields used in this summary report.
Suggested Citation:
B.C. Conservation Data Centre. 2001. Species Summary: Lycaena dione. B.C. Minist. of Environment. Available: https://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/eswp/ (accessed Jun 3, 2026).