C COPPER BUTTERFLIES Rarities, Historic Specimens
Captain Edward Bagwell Purefoy. A number of the Lycaena dispar rutilus in this list, are from colonies that were established in Ireland by Capt. E B Bagwell Purefoy. Purefoy has the distinction of being the person who discovered the life history of the Large Blue Butterfly Maculinea arion, which depends upon symbiosis with the red ant Myrmica sabuleti. He was working with FW Frohawk who was working on the two volume work on the Butterflies of the British Isles. Frohawk was a superb artist as well as entomologist, and he could not disover how the Large Blue larvae completed their life history, because they kept being taken by an ant! In 1915 Purefoy, not only cracked the life history of the Large Blue, but he established most successfully the only colony of the Large Copper Lycaena dispar rutilus, in the British Isles, at his family home Greenfields, in Tipperary. Captain Purefoy is the Grandfather of Rosemary Goodden. His colony in Ireland thrived from 1918 spanning the entire period between the two world wars.
PLEASE NOTE: This collection of Coppers is offered now and orders from it can be dispatched immediately.
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A lot of three bred males. No data. Excellent condition and very fresh.
A large and very well preserved female from Lord Rothschild. Woodwalton Bred 12.VII.1928. A hairline split in RFW, barely visible.
Large female, with less black patterning on HWs, extra coppery, Bred Woodwalton July 1935 J Shepherd
From the famous HA Leeds Colln, a mint female, Woodwalton 20.7.1937,acquired 1943 by Siviter Smith, the most famous collector of Coppers. Important provenance.
A mint male, Woodwalton Bred 5 :VII:1933 Presented by W G Sheldon to F Pennington Lot 5 at Pennington Sale 13:3:1942. See also C003 for matching female.
This historic insect is thought to be one of the earliest discovered DUTCH batavus. Holland 13/VII/1915. This has been owned by the famous H J Turner and was acquired by the Copper specialist collector Siviter Smith in 1943. Condition is moderate to poor but what provenance!!
A female collected by the once famous H A Leeds. Hunts 19.7.1933. RHW quite torn but the price is good considering its data.
A female from the Cruttwell Collection. No data. Nice coppery colour.
Ex Coll Cruttwell. No data.
Underside. Some grease stain. Medium to poor condition. Ex Cruttewell Coll. No data.
A male var purefoyi, named after Capt E B Purefoy who discovered the life history of the Large Blue, and established rutilus that bred in Ireland for over a decade. A little torn but the only example we have ever seen. Woodwalton Fen 1929 H W Ellis. Ex Coll Willoughby Ellis and the famous Siviter Smith.
A fine pair of rutilus from Capt E B Purefoy. There are 3 pairs available, all are from his early breeding way back in 1919. The third pair has the male with data in Purefoy's own hand, Bred Tipperary 1927-30. This lot of 3 pairs is priced per pair. All in excellent condition and very historic specimens.