Common Euphaedra vs Glanville Fritillary

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Common Euphaedra Glanville Fritillary
Scientific Name Euphaedra medon Melitaea cinxia
Order Lepidoptera Lepidoptera
Family Nymphalidae Nymphalidae
Size 55-70 mm wingspan 33-40 mm wingspan
Habitat Forests Beaches & Coastal
Diet Dung Feeders Herbivores
Regions West Africa (Nigeria, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone, Liberia) Europe, temperate Asia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern (rare in Britain)

Common Euphaedra

A forest-dwelling butterfly with deep orange-brown wings and distinctive blue-purple iridescent bands. It is one of the most commonly encountered Euphaedra species in West Africa. Males and females differ significantly in pattern.

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Did You Know?

Over 200 species of Euphaedra exist in Africa, making it one of the most species-rich butterfly genera on the continent.

Glanville Fritillary

An orange and black chequered butterfly confined in Britain to the Isle of Wight's coastal cliffs. It was named after Lady Eleanor Glanville, an eccentric 17th-century collector.

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Did You Know?

Lady Glanville's relatives tried to have her will annulled, claiming only a lunatic would collect butterflies.