Large Wall Brown vs South African Alderfly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute	Large Wall Brown	South African Alderfly
Scientific Name	Lasiommata maera	Leptosialis africana
Order	Lepidoptera	Megaloptera
Family	Nymphalidae	Sialidae
Size	44-56 mm wingspan	10-14 mm
Habitat	Mountains	Mountains
Diet	Nectar Feeders	Omnivores
Regions	Europe, Central Asia	Africa
Conservation	Least Concern	Data Deficient

Large Wall Brown

A medium-sized brown butterfly with large apical eyespots and warm orange patches on the forewings. It frequents rocky terrain and often basks on stone walls and boulders.

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Did You Know?

Unlike most satyrines, it actively seeks out the hottest, most sun-baked rock faces for basking.

South African Alderfly

One of the few alderfly species found in the Southern Hemisphere, occurring in clean mountain streams of South Africa. Adults are small with dark wings.

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Did You Know?

Southern Hemisphere alderflies are so rare and poorly studied that basic aspects of their biology remain unknown to science.