biology

Lycaena dorcas

Lycaena dorcas is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Lycaena dorcas rather than just read about it. In short: Lycaena dorcas is a species of butterfly in the family Lycaenidae, the gossamer-winged butterflies. Its common names include dorcas copper and cinquefoil copper.

Key takeaways

Lycaena dorcas belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Lycaena dorcas to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Lycaena dorcas from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Lycaena dorcas is a species of butterfly in the family Lycaenidae, the gossamer-winged butterflies. Its common names include dorcas copper and cinquefoil copper. The species was first described by William Kirby in 1837. It is native to North America. The species L. dospassosi was once included in L. dorcas.

Description The top side is brown. The male has a blue-purple iridescence and the female has a few lighter areas. The male is similar in coloration to that of L. helloides. The hindwings have red-orange spots on the border. The underside is brown with a slight orange tint. The wingspan is 2.5–3.2 cm (0.98–1.26 in). The caterpillar is pale green with a single dark green dorsal line and faint white bands.

Range and habitat L. dorcas occurs as far north as boreal Alaska and south to Washington in the west and the Great Lakes region in the east. There is an isolated population in Maine. Its habitat includes bogs and old overgrown fields.

Life cycle There is one flight between June and September. The male stays near the host plant to seek females. The females lay white eggs singly on the undersides of the leaves. The eggs drop with the leaves in autumn and overwinter. The caterpillars hatch in spring and return to the host plant to feed. Larval host plants include Potentilla fruticosa and species of Rumex and Polygonum.

References

Savela, Markku, ed. (June 9, 2020). "Lycaena dorcas Kirby, 1837". Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms. Retrieved November 10, 2020. McLeod, Robin (July 3, 2019). "Species Lycaena dorcas - Dorcas Copper - Hodges#4261". BugGuide. Retrieved November 10, 2020. Schmidt, B. C. "Species Details Lycaena dorcas". University of Alberta Museums. E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum. Retrieved November 10, 2020. Lotts, Kelly & Naberhaus, Thomas (2017). "Dorcas Copper Lycaena dorcas (W. Kirby, 1837)". Butterflies and Moths of North America. Retrieved November 10, 2020. Kaufman, Kenn; Brock, Jim P. (2003). "Gossamer-winged Butterflies". Kaufman Field Guide to Butterflies of North America. Houghton Mifflin Books. p. 84. ISBN 978-0-618-76826-4.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Lycaena dorcas

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Lycaena dorcas claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Lycaena dorcas before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Lycaena dorcas ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Lycaena dorcas

In research: Lycaena dorcas appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Lycaena dorcas in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Lycaena dorcas is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Butterflies described in 1837, Butterflies of North America, Lycaena, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Lycaena dorcas outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Lycaena dorcas in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Lycaena dorcas means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Lycaena dorcas out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Lycaena dorcas in simple terms?

Lycaena dorcas is a species of butterfly in the family Lycaenidae, the gossamer-winged butterflies. Its common names include dorcas copper and cinquefoil copper.

Why does Lycaena dorcas matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Lycaena dorcas?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Lycaena dorcas.