Wonder Brown Heteronympha mirifica
Wingspan: 53 mm - 61 mm
Sighted Claire Cottage: October to April - Males usually appear during October, females usually appear late November.
Distribution: Australian East Coast from Eumundi and Bunya Mountains, SE QLD through NSW to Malacoota in VIC.
Status Claire Cottage: common
Status Dorrigo Plateau: thought to be common
Similar species: Common Brown Heteronympha merope and Varied Sword-grass Brown Tisiphone abeona'
Wingspan: 53 mm - 61 mm
Sighted Claire Cottage: October to April - Males usually appear during October, females usually appear late November.
Distribution: Australian East Coast from Eumundi and Bunya Mountains, SE QLD through NSW to Malacoota in VIC.
Status Claire Cottage: common
Status Dorrigo Plateau: thought to be common
Similar species: Common Brown Heteronympha merope and Varied Sword-grass Brown Tisiphone abeona'
Wonder Brown male at Bongil Bongil
Wonder Brown female, Claire Cottage Dorrigo Plateau, 10 Mar 2011, 10.51 am
Female, Claire Cottage Dorrigo Plateau, 22 Feb 2021, 12.03 pm
Female, Claire Cottage Dorrigo Plateau, 9 Mar 2019, 3.27 pm
Wonder Brown female showing cryptic colouring of undersides, Claire Cottage Dorrigo Plateau, 22 Dec 2008
This butterfly is one of the few where the sexes look completely different.
The dark-coloured female with the white forewing markings is very hard to see when she lands in the speckled shade of the forest and closes her wings, Because of the colour of the forest floor her cryptic colouring means she virtually disappears.
The male's showy orange colouring, however, makes him stand out when he perches with his wings open. When he lands on leaf litter and closes his wings, he too becomes difficult to see.
A female with her wings closed, 9 Mar 2017 3.47pm
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The same female opened her wings to feel the sun
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Wonder Brown male, Claire Cottage Dorrigo Plateau, 12 Dec 2010, 6.07pm
The underside of a male, Claire Cottage Dorrigo Plateau, 27 Nov 2016, 11.41 am
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The sun is bringing out more colour in this male, 27 Nov 2011, 2.58 pm
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Oplismenus aemulus (Basket Grass)
Wonder Brown Heteronympha mirifica
Wingspan: 53 mm - 61 mm
Sighted Claire Cottage: October to April - Males usually appear during October, females usually appear late November.
Distribution: Australian East Coast from Eumundi and Bunya Mountains, SE QLD through NSW to Malacoota in VIC.
Status Claire Cottage: common
Status Dorrigo Plateau: thought to be common
Similar species: Common Brown Heteronympha merope and Varied Sword-grass Brown Tisiphone abeona'
Butterfly Sightings:
Larva Sightings:
Larval Food Plants:
Habitat where found at Claire Cottage: Rainforest edge
Flight habit: Throughout the day.
Last autumn sighting - Claire Cottage: 29/04/18 (f) 20/04/20 (f) 18/04/21 (f)
First warm season sighting - Claire Cottage, Dorrigo Plateau:
10/12/18 (m); 03/11/19 (m), 23/11/19 (f); - (mostly newly eclosed, beautiful colours); 23/10/20 (m), 25/11/20 (f);
2021: A number of females now sighted each January, February
Wingspan: 53 mm - 61 mm
Sighted Claire Cottage: October to April - Males usually appear during October, females usually appear late November.
Distribution: Australian East Coast from Eumundi and Bunya Mountains, SE QLD through NSW to Malacoota in VIC.
Status Claire Cottage: common
Status Dorrigo Plateau: thought to be common
Similar species: Common Brown Heteronympha merope and Varied Sword-grass Brown Tisiphone abeona'
Butterfly Sightings:
- CLAIRE COTTAGE: Nov 2007f, 2010m, 2011m, 2014m, 2015f, 2016m, 2019, Dec 2001m, 2006m, 2008f&m, 2010m, 2011f&m, 2012f, 2016f, 2019, Jan 2002f, 2008f, 2009f, 2011, 2018f, Feb 2006, 2008f, 2009f, 2010, 2011, Mar 2006, 2007, 2009f, 2011, 2014f, 2016f, 2017f, 2018f, 2019f, 2020, Apr 2001f, 2006, 2007f, 2011, 2018f,
- DORRIGO PLATEAU elsewhere: None to Date
Larva Sightings:
- CLAIRE COTTAGE: None to date
- DORRIGO PLATEAU elsewhere: None to date
Larval Food Plants:
- CLAIRE COTTAGE: CYPERACEAE: Gahnia clarkei, POACEAE: Oplismenus aemulus (Basket Grass), Oplismenus imbecillis (Creeping Beard Grass),
- DORRIGO PLATEAU elsewhere: (as for Claire Cottage)
- ELSEWHERE: (as for Claire Cottage plus) POACEAE: Oplismenus undulatifolius (Wavy Leaf Basket Grass), Ottochloa gracillima, *Pennisetum clandestinum (Kikuyu Grass)
Habitat where found at Claire Cottage: Rainforest edge
Flight habit: Throughout the day.
Last autumn sighting - Claire Cottage: 29/04/18 (f) 20/04/20 (f) 18/04/21 (f)
First warm season sighting - Claire Cottage, Dorrigo Plateau:
10/12/18 (m); 03/11/19 (m), 23/11/19 (f); - (mostly newly eclosed, beautiful colours); 23/10/20 (m), 25/11/20 (f);
2021: A number of females now sighted each January, February