Lucia limbaria
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Lucia is a monotypic butterfly genus in the family Lycaenidae. The single species is Lucia limbaria, the small copper butterfly of Australia, commonly known as the chequered copper butterfly or as the grassland copper butterfly.
Lucia limbaria is an endemic but rarely seen butterfly, found in sporadic locations in south-eastern South Australia, south-western Victoria and as far north as central Queensland. Lucia limbaria is very dependent on particular ant species in the Iridomyrmex genus, with which it has a symbiotic relationship, and also particular native oxalis (sorrel) hostplants.
Lucia limbaria, the only species within the genus Lucia, is an Australian butterfly commonly known as the small copper butterfly, which differentiates it from similar but slightly larger butterflies of the genus Paralucia. Other common names include the chequered copper butterfly and the grassland copper butterfly.
This butterfly is not easily identified in the field as it is small, with wingspan 2–3 cm (0.79–1.18 in), fly mainly during the morning in sunshine very close to the ground with a brisk, almost skipper-like, flight. Wingspan of males is typically 23... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Melbourne | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Grassland Copper sighting in Melbourne on a given day, based on 30 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 331st most-seen of the 875 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January–February and October
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Grassland Copper in Melbourne on a given day, against under 5% in March–September and November–December, the lowest months.
Only Melbourne, in our data
Melbourne is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Grassland Copper sightings: under 5% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same family: Lycaenidae
The closest relatives of the Grassland Copper that you can see in Melbourne (family Lycaenidae, Gossamer-winged Butterflies) are Lesser Grass Blue (about 20%), Zizina labradus (about 10%) and Saltbush Blue (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Grassland Copper is recorded against all the insects logged in Melbourne (30 verified sightings), 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.
