The Large Copper was first discovered from Dozen's Bank near Spalding in Lincolnshire in 1749. It became extinct in the British Isles in 1851 and was last recorded at Bottisham in Cambridgeshire. There is no doubt that the demise of this most spectacular butterfly was the result of changing fenland management and, in particular, the draining of the fens. On the continent this species lives in discrete colonies ranging from a few dozen adults to many hundred. There have been several introduction attempts, the first at Woodwalton Fen, in Huntingdonshire, in 1927. On several occasions, the population had to be subsequently re-introduced or supplemented from captive stock. The British subspecies, dispar, was endemic to the British Isles and reintroductions have tended to use stock from the Netherlands, which is of the rare subspecies batavus. Unfortunately, all reintroduction attempts have ultimately failed. A project is being undertaken at Keele University to determine the feasibility of a Large Copper re-establishment programme in the British Isles. This species is extinct in the British Isles. Although the species was never widespread, it is believed that its former range also included Lincolnshire, Huntingdonshire, Norfolk and Somerset.
The nominate subspecies was first defined in Haworth (1803) as shown here (type locality: Cambridgeshire, England).
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Male
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![Large Copper [Richard Lewington]](image_generator.php?src=phpBB/gallery/images/cache/b9ef5d1dbd19bcf3a013ae16b02168e0.jpg&r=223&g=246&b=216 "Large Copper [Richard Lewington]") |
Male Underside
Photo © Richard Lewington |
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Female
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Female Underside
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This subspecies was first defined in Werneburg (1864) as shown here (type locality: Germany). This subspecies was introduced in the British Isles although this was ultimately unsuccessful.
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Female Underside
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This subspecies was first defined in Oberthür (1923) (type locality: Netherlands). This subspecies was introduced in the British Isles although this was ultimately unsuccessful. In describing this subspecies, Oberthür simply stated that the Dutch race should be given a name to indicate its origin. In order to distinguish it from the English race he gave it the name batavus (Batavia is a former name for Holland). According to Emmet (1990) this subspecies differs from the nominate subspecies as follows: 1. On the hindwing underside, the white-ringed black spots are smaller, especially in the basal area. 2. On the hindwing underside, the orange band is narrower and less squared at its apical extremity.
This species has one generation each year in the British Isles with the adults emerging in July and flying into August. Subspecies: Lycaena dispar batavus 
In the British Isles this species inhabited the East Anglian fens and probably other areas within southern England before becoming extinct.
The primary larval foodplant is Water Dock (Rumex hydrolapathum).
Description to be completed
This species only flies in sunshine and therefore relies on good weather to allow it to fly and, therefore, court, mate and lay eggs. The males set up loose territories and will intercept any creature that flies past. If a virgin female is encountered then the two will typically settle, and the male will flap his wings for a short time before mating takes place. The scientific name of this species, dispar, refers to the disparity between the two sexes. The upperside of the male is generally of a uniform copper colour with little patterning, where as the upperside of the female not only has distinct markings on the forewings, but also has a very different markings on the hindwing which are more dark brown than copper in colour.
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Photo © Richard Lewington
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Description to be completed.
The white eggs are laid singly on the foodplant, with several eggs sometimes being found together on the same leaf. These are typically on medium-sized plants that are away from water and mixed in with the surrounding vegetation. The eggs hatch in approximately 2 weeks.
The larva does not eat its eggshell on hatching and proceeds to feed on the underside of the leaf. As for its close relative, the Small Copper, the larva forms a small groove on the underside, leaving the upper surface of the leaf intact. The larva rests in this groove when not feeding. After the second moult, the larva creates holes in the leaf surface and moves to the midrib of the leaf prior to moulting. The larva also overwinters while in the stage of development, at the base of the foodplant, typically within leaf litter. It has been shown that the larva is not prone to flooding in the fens and can survive submerged for over 2 months. There are 3 moults in total, this stage lasting between 10 and 11 months.
The pupa is attached head-down to a stem of the foodplant, attached by a silken girdle and the cremaster. This stage lasts between 1 and 6 weeks, depending on temperature.
No similar species found.
No sites found.
This species is extinct and although several reintroductions have been attempted, all have ultimately failed.
The following links provide additional information on this butterfly.
The species description provided here has been derived from the author's own observations and the information contained in the following works:
- Asher (2001). Asher, J., Warren, M., Fox, R., Harding, P., Jeffcoate, G. and Jeffcoate, S.: The Millennium Atlas of Butterflies in Britain and Ireland. 2001.
- Fox (2006). Fox, R., Asher, J., Brereton, T., Roy, D. and Warren, M.: The State of Butterflies in Britain and Ireland. 2006.
- Frohawk (1914). Frohawk, F.W.: A Natural History of British Butterflies. 1914.
- Howarth (1973). Howarth, T.G.: South's British Butterflies. 1973.
- Nash (2012). Nash, D., Boyd, T. and Hardiman, D.: Ireland's Butterflies: A Review. 2012.
- Riley (2007). Riley, A.M.: British and Irish Butterflies: The Complete Identification, Field and Site Guide to the Species, Subspecies and Forms. 2007.
- South (1906). South, R.: The Butterflies Of The British Isles. 1906.
- Thomas & Lewington (2010). Thomas, J. and Lewington, R.: The Butterflies of Britain and Ireland. Edn.2. 2010.
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![Large Copper [Richard Lewington]](phpBB/gallery/images/upload/b9ef5d1dbd19bcf3a013ae16b02168e0.jpg "Large Copper [Richard Lewington]")
![Large Copper - imago - Thatcham - 09-Oct-05 (8) [REARED]](phpBB/gallery/images/upload/e5474f99bbee33cecefc6dcf162b721e.jpg "Large Copper - imago - Thatcham - 09-Oct-05 (8) [REARED]")
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