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Photo#1005195
Dorcas Copper? or Purplish? - Lycaena dorcas

Dorcas Copper? or Purplish? - Lycaena dorcas
Marathon, Thunder Bay District, Ontario, Canada
August 6, 2014
Size: 2 cm
I can't tell if Dorcas or Purplish; in roadside Black Spruce swamp

Comments

Moved
Moved from Lycaena.


Copper, Purplish, and Bog are difficult
to separate with only a below (dorsal) view. However, based upon the two small circular spots in the cell of the FW, this one looks like a Bog Copper.


 
Agreed - it's probably a Dorcas
In Ontario, Bog Copper is usually fairly pale gray on the underside, though some populations have a bit of a yellowish cast:

http://www.ontariobutterflies.ca/families/lycaenidea/bog-copper

The date on this one is a bit late for Bog Copper. It does fit for Dorcas, which has a darker, more orange venter:

http://www.ontariobutterflies.ca/families/lycaenidea/dorcas-copper

Purplish copper is usually larger, and has a somewhat paler venter than Dorcas, but they are very similar:

http://www.ontariobutterflies.ca/families/lycaenidea/purplish-copper

Purplish is fairly rare in Ontario. We don't have a lot of sightings, but we think it has two flights, and this date falls between what are the most likely flight times. But we have so little data, it's difficult to be certain about that.

Moved
Moved from ID Request.

 
ID Confirmed
Ross Layberry says Dorcas Copper...