Common Leopard vs Midge Gall Fly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Common Leopard Midge Gall Fly
Scientific Name Phalanta phalantha Asphondylia sarothamni
Order Lepidoptera Diptera
Family Nymphalidae Cecidomyiidae
Size 50-65 mm wingspan 2-4 mm
Habitat Heathland Heathland
Diet Nectar Feeders Fungus Feeders
Regions South Asia (India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh) Europe
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Common Leopard

A medium-sized tawny butterfly with black spots arranged in a leopard-like pattern across the wings. It has a rapid, gliding flight and is commonly seen sunbathing with wings spread open.

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Did You Know?

This is one of the most adaptable butterflies in India, thriving equally well in remote forests and bustling city gardens.

Midge Gall Fly

A gall midge that induces pod-like galls on broom shrubs. Its larvae develop inside swollen seed pods alongside symbiotic fungi.

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Did You Know?

It farms a symbiotic fungus inside the gall that provides food for its developing larva.