Rare Redeye Flat - Chaetocneme denitza

This page contains information and pictures about Rare Redeye Flat Butterflies in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia. They are also known as Ornate Dusk-flats.


Wingspan 50mm, female

This butterfly is in the Pyrginae subfamily, they are large, robust and have the wings expanded flat when when rest. Their larvae are brightly in colours with pink and green. Butterfly is orange-brown in colour with creamy semi-transparence patches on forewings. There are the blue -grey veins on the wings. Its eyes are red in colour.



This butterfly is believed active during and after evening. Caterpillars stay in shelter during the day. They feed during the evening. They feed on Myrtaceae, includes different kind of Gum tree leaves. They also feed on Brush Box (Tristania conferta or Lophostemon confertus).

Female - 2006



When we were walking in Karawatha Forest during early summer 2006, we disturbed a medium size butterfly and it flied to a small gum tree a few meter away. It then hiding under a board leaf with wings open flat like a moth. There was about 1.5 meter above ground. It flied away after we took some photos.



We found this Rare Redeye Flat male in Karawatha Forest Rocks Circuit on Jan 2010. It was hiding under gum leave 1.5 meter above ground. As shown in those photos, wing patterns are slightly different between male and female.


We found another female Rare Redeye Flat on Oct 2011 in Ford Road Conservation Area. It was resting on the bottom side of a wattle leaf. It was about 1.5 meter above ground. It did not move a bit even our very heavy disturbance.





Please visit our Flat Skippers and Skippers pages for more general information on this butterflies.

Reference:
1. The Complete Field Guide to Butterflies of Australia - Michael F Braby, Australian National University, CSIRO 2004, p34.
2. Chaetocneme denitza - Australian Caterpillars, Don Herbison-Evans.
3. Australian Butterflies - Charles McCubbin, Nelson, Sydney, 1971. p156.