American Copper vs Iberian Sooty Copper

Lycaena phlaeas compared with Lycaena bleusei

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	American Copper	Iberian Sooty Copper
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order same	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family same	Lycaenidae	Lycaenidae
Genus same	Lycaena	Lycaena
Species	Lycaena phlaeas	Lycaena bleusei

Evolutionary Relationship

American Copper and Iberian Sooty Copper share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Lycaena.

Conservation Status

American Copper

LC — Least Concern

Iberian Sooty Copper

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	American Copper	Iberian Sooty Copper
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

American Copper

Habitat

Inhabits Mediterranean forests and woodlands within the Palearctic biogeographic realm.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Cyprus), Europe (40 countries), and North America (Canada, United States).

Iberian Sooty Copper

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Portugal and Spain.

American Copper

American Copper (Lycaena phlaeas) is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List. Widespread and abundant across its range, with stable populations and no immediate conservation concerns.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇵🇹 Portugal 🇪🇸 Spain