Bug FAQNatal Acraea
Stephenia natalica · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Nymphalidae
Natal acraea is a medium-large butterfly with a wingspan around 55 to 65 mm, though individuals can range from 46 to 80 mm. It lives in East and southern Africa, from KwaZulu-Natal through Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, the southern DRC, Tanzania and eastern Kenya.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The upper wings are reddish-orange to brown-yellow, and females may have a darker reddish-brown hindwing.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Wingspan typically measures 55 to 65 mm. Overall size varies widely, ranging from 46 mm up to 80 mm, making it larger than related species in its subgroup.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae native to East and southern Africa.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults can be seen year-round, especially abundant in late summer.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its range also includes South and East Africa extending to Angola, the southern Congo and historic British East Africa.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It can be confused with umbrata, which has a broad dark-grey transparent band on the forewing behind discal spots 4-6. It also resembles abadima (clarei), a form intermediate between umbrata and pseudegina.
Source: Wikipedia
Questions people ask
What do the caterpillars look like?
The larvae are light yellow with a white lateral line, a white dorsal line edged in black, and a black streak on each side; the pupa is yellowish-white with black markings.
Source: Wikipedia
When can I see adult Natal acraea butterflies?
Adults are active all year, but they are most common in late summer in southern Africa.
Source: Wikipedia
What plants do the larvae feed on?
They eat Adenia gummifera, Passiflora species such as P. coerulea, and Tricliceras longipedunculatum.
Source: Wikipedia
Which species might I mistake for Natal acraea?
Lookalikes include umbrata, which has a distinctive dark-grey transparent band on the forewing, and abadima (clarei), an intermediate form between umbrata and pseudegina.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Nymphalidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acraea_natalica
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-24.