Bug FAQNatal Acraea
Stephenia natalica · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Nymphalidae
The Natal acraea is a medium-large butterfly with a wingspan typically between 55 and 65 mm, but individuals can range from about 46 to 80 mm. Its upper wings are reddish-orange to brown-yellow, sometimes darker on the hindwing of females, and it lives in East and southern Africa where it is found year-round, peaking in late summer.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The upper wing surface is reddish-orange to brown-yellow; females may have a darker, dark red-brown hindwing.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Wingspan usually measures 55 to 65 mm, though the species can vary from 46 to 80 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It belongs to the Nymphalidae family and is native to East and southern Africa.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Larvae are light yellow with a white side 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 you see it
Adults are on the wing throughout the year, with a strong abundance in late summer in southern Africa.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It occurs from KwaZulu-Natal through Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, southern DRC, Tanzania and eastern Kenya. Its range also includes Angola, southern Congo and the former British East Africa.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It can be confused with Acraea umbrata, which has a broad dark grey transparent band on the forewing behind the discal spots, and with Acraea abadima, which shows intermediate features between umbrata and pseudegina.
Source: Wikipedia
More photos
Questions people ask
What do the caterpillars look like?
They are light yellow with a white lateral line, a white dorsal line edged in black, and a black streak on each side.
Source: Wikipedia
When can I see adult Natal acraea butterflies?
Adults are present all year, but they are most common in late summer in southern Africa.
Source: Wikipedia
What plants do the larvae feed on?
The larvae eat Adenia gummifera, Passiflora species such as P. coerulea, and Tricliceras longipedunculatum.
Source: Wikipedia
How can I tell Natal acraea apart from similar species?
Natal acraea lacks the broad dark grey transparent band on the forewing that characterises Acraea umbrata, and it does not show the intermediate wing patterns of Acraea abadima.
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.