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Orange Palmdart - Cephrenes augiades
Family HESPERIIDAE
This page contains information and pictures about Orange Palmdart Butterflies in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia.
- Male, body length 20mm
The Orange Palmdart (or Palm Dart) butterflies are from medium in size. Their bodies are large and with relatively small wings. Males are orange-yellow with a brown background colour. Females are dark brown in colour with a few yellow marks. They fly in a very rapid and jerky style, this is why they call skippers.
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- The Orange Palmdart lay eggs on palm trees. The caterpillars are green in colour. Caterpillars lay silk on the palm leaf, the silk will then shrink the two side of the leaf together to from the shelter.
- The caterpillar hides in the shelter and chew away the front part of the palm leaf. When that blade of the leaf is finished, they move to the next blade. This leave the untidy appearance of the palm tree. When disturbed, the caterpillar gives out some dark green liquid, which seems can make the ants go away.
- Reference and Link:
- 1. Cephrenes augiades - Australian Caterpillars, Don Herbison-Evans & Stella Crossley, 2005.
- 2. Cephrenes augiades - Australian Insect Common Names, CSIRO 2005.
- 3. Butterflies of Australia and New Guinea - Barrett, Charles and A. N. Burns, Melbourne, N. H. Seward, 1951, pp181.
