American Copper vs coast amaranth

Lycaena phlaeas compared with Amaranthus pumilus

Key Differences

American Copper is Least Concern while coast amaranth is Extinct.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	American Copper	coast amaranth
Kingdom	Animalia (hayvan)	Plantae (bitki)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Eklem bacaklılar)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Insecta (böcek)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Lepidoptera (Pul kanatlılar)	Caryophyllales (Caryophyllales)
Family	Lycaenidae	Amaranthaceae
Genus	Lycaena	Amaranthus
Species	Lycaena phlaeas	Amaranthus pumilus

Conservation Status

American Copper

LC — Least Concern

coast amaranth

EX — Extinct

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	American Copper	coast amaranth
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).

coast amaranth

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Found in Japan.

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.

Coast amaranth (Amaranthus pumilus) is an annual herb in the family Amaranthaceae, native to the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the eastern United States, where it once grew on coastal foredunes, beach strand, and shell-hash substrates above the high tide line from New York south to South Carolina. It is a low-growing, fleshy plant with small, rounded leaves and inconspicuous green flowers typical of the genus. Coast amaranth is assessed as Extinct in the Wild by the IUCN, as it has not been reliably documented from wild populations since the mid-20th century; the last confirmed collections date to the 1960s. The species' decline and likely extinction resulted from intense human pressure on Atlantic coastal habitats through shoreline development, beach stabilisation, vehicular traffic on beaches, and increased storm frequency disrupting pioneer dune vegetation. It is federally listed as Threatened in the United States, though this listing predates confirmed extinction in the wild. A small number of ex-situ accessions may exist in botanical garden collections. Genetic material and seed banking efforts represent the only remaining conservation options for this critically reduced species.