alba Tutt are albinotic specimens, such as occur in all species of coppers, bearing usually asymmetrical and irregular light patches on the wings in variable position.

— The second form is more yellowish golden — auratus Leech [now subspecies]76 ¢) —, the upperside of the male does never bear a discocellular spot, while the underside is distinctly spotted; the female of this form is recognized by the underside being ashy grey instead of blue-grey; from Corea, North China and Tibet.

As Alpheraky records auratus from June and Graeser his dahurica from the middle of July to August, the two insects may possibly be seasonal forms.

[4] Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.

[7] Documentation of the large copper was done by the Committee appointed by the Entomological Society of London for the Protection of British Lepidoptera.

— Early last century the species was still plentiful in several swampy districts of England, for instance at Whittlesea-Mere and other places, but did not occur in Ireland.

Verbal released a number of caterpillars in Wicken Fen; however, due to a lack of host plants, the reintroduction was not viable.

[7] Lycaena dispar, is widely distributed in central Europe, as far north as southern Finland, extending across temperate Asia to the Amur region and to Manchuria Korea.

[2] In central Europe L. dispar commonly inhabits drier areas, such as fallows and urban wetlands.

[2] The British subspecies of this butterfly (L. d. dispar) was first described in 1759 in Huntingdonshire,[8] and was declared extinct in 1864 after the last populations in East Anglia were lost.

[11] In this way L. dispar can avoid possible flooding that can occur in lower lying areas closer to the water's edge.

[10] The species prefers undisturbed grasslands along the riverbanks and stream banks, where its larval food plant, the greater water dock, (R. hydrolapathum) can be found.

[3] Land disturbances through agriculture, primarily the mowing of grass, and other foliage has a negative influence on populations of L. dispar, such that mowing shortly after egg-laying, will result in disastrous losses due to the eggs being destroyed and the newly hatched larvae being deprived of host plants, for food: L. dispar lays its eggs on host food plants, commonly low-lying, with larval migration limited to the area around their birth, host plant.

[11] Overwinter survival can be greatly reduced due to flooding for prolonged periods of time, resulting in high mortality of L. dispar larvae in diapause.

[10] Lycaena dispar larvae have three characteristic stages: pre-diapause in the autumn, winter diapause and post-diapause in the spring.

[3] Plants that receive greater sunlight allow for larvae to grow faster and develop within a shorter period.

[11] Notably herbivore leaf damage and fungal infections of host plants, are not significant in reducing egg densities, laid by females.

[12] Once there larvae begin to change color, from bright green to pale yellow-brown, allowing them to blend in better with their surroundings during pupation, which lasts between 10 and 14 days.

In the rest of the Western Europe, the draining of wetlands and building and agricultural activity on shallow riverbanks has caused a strong decline.

In eastern Europe, undeveloped riverbanks and deltas are a habitat for the species, though even there it is somewhat threatened due increasing human influence on these areas.

This is largely due to L. dispar stock being raised in captivity for long periods of time, before being released into the wild, resulting in adults that are maladapted to their natural environment, and ultimately do not survive.

[10] Research is now being conducted to see whether a further attempt is worthwhile in more extensive habitats available in the Great Fen project and the Norfolk Broads.

[2] In order to boost population numbers, mass rearing would be beneficial, therefore further research is needed to improve survivorship of mass-reared, L. dispar individuals.

[11] Conservation efforts need to address the species' high sensitivity to climate and land usage, such as reclamation of wetlands for agricultural purposes and intensive management of grasslands through mowing of vegetation, having a negative influences on population numbers of L.