Lycaena boldenarum

Lycaena boldenarum
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Lycaenidae
Genus: Lycaena
Species:
L. boldenarum
Binomial name
Lycaena boldenarum
(White, 1862)
Synonyms
  • Boldenaria boldenarum (White, 1862)
  • Chrysophanus boldenarum caerulea Salmon, 1946
  • Chrysophanus boldenarum ianthina Salmon, 1946

Lycaena boldenarum, the boulder copper, is a species of butterfly which is endemic to New Zealand, it is found on both North Island and South Island in a wide variety of open habitats including grassland, shingle and sand dunes. They are normally only active in bright sunny conditions and their flight is usually low to the ground. The boldenarum part of the species name given by the Scottish entomologist Adam White in honour of his first wife, Helen and her sister Frances, whose maiden name was Bolden. It shares the Maori name pepe para riki with two congeners the common copper (Lycaena salustius) and the glade copper (Lycaena feredayi).