Lycaena tama
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
Lycaena tama, the Canterbury alpine boulder copper, is a species of copper which lives on the central South Island of New Zealand. A small butterfly with copper wings and a "marginal series of violet dots". It was named tama as a distinct species by R. W. Fereday after "a traditionary Maori chief of that name."
Lycaena tama lives in the Mackenzie Basin and in the areas around Canterbury. It was first described as being in and around "Drayton Station, on the plains near Mount Hutt; spurs of mountains near Castle Hill Station; and the top of the Mount Hutt range"
Lycaena tama uses the host plant pōhuehue. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aoraki Mount Cook National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 2 | Arthur's Pass National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand |
Likely
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Canterbury Alpine Boulder Copper sighting in Aoraki Mount Cook National Park on a given day, based on 41 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 2nd most-seen of the 10 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December
In that month about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Canterbury Alpine Boulder Copper in Aoraki Mount Cook National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April, the lowest month.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Canterbury Alpine Boulder Copper sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Canterbury Alpine Boulder Copper sightings, Aoraki Mount Cook National Park has the highest daily chance: about 50%. Next come Arthur's Pass National Park (New Zealand, about 40%).
Same order: Lepidoptera
The closest relatives of the Canterbury Alpine Boulder Copper that you can see in Aoraki Mount Cook National Park (order Lepidoptera, Butterflies and Moths) are Common Tussock Butterfly (about 40%) and Black Mountain Ringlet (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Canterbury Alpine Boulder Copper is recorded against all the insects logged in Aoraki Mount Cook National Park (41 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
