Cycad Blue - Theclinesthes onycha

This page contains information and pictures about Cycad Blue Butterflies in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia.


Wingspan 30mmm

The butterflies are pale brown in colour with metallic blue or purple sheen. There are the eye patterns of orange and black on the margin of hindwings, each has a little tail attached.

Their Food Plants



Cycads - Cycas thouarsii, CYCADACEAE

We took those pictures in Brisbane Botanic Garden in late March. There were four to five Cycad plants there and all of them just the new shots. The Cycads were about 1.5 meter tall.



We saw many small Blue butterflies flying around. Some were laying eggs on the new shots.



Above photo shows a butterfly was laying eggs. There were already many eggs around. They are pale white-blue in colour, look like small disks.


Caterpillar length 10mm

Carefully checking we also found the caterpillars. They are not moving, hiding under those small leaves. They feed during the night. They are brown to dark brown in colour. Those caterpillars were green in colour when small. It is unique that it is the only Australian butterfly Caterpillar that feeds on Cycads. The caterpillars of this species is known also attended by ants, however, we did not see any ants attending them on that observation.

Reference and Link:
1. Theclinesthes onycha - Australian Caterpillars, Don Herbison-Evans & Stella Crossley, 2005.
2. Australian Butterflies - Charles McCubbin, Nelson, Sydney, 1971. p93