Malagasy Skipper Butterfly vs Great Spangled Fritillary

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Malagasy Skipper Butterfly Great Spangled Fritillary
Scientific Name Heteropsis narcissus Speyeria cybele
Order Lepidoptera Lepidoptera
Family Nymphalidae Nymphalidae
Size 35-45 mm wingspan 62-88 mm wingspan
Habitat Forests Farmland
Diet Sap Feeders Nectar Feeders
Regions Madagascar North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Malagasy Skipper Butterfly

A small satyrinae butterfly with brown wings marked by subtle eyespots along the wing margins. It flies low through forest undergrowth with a characteristic bobbing flight pattern.

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Did You Know?

The genus Heteropsis is entirely endemic to Madagascar, representing a unique lineage of satyr butterflies found nowhere else on Earth.

Great Spangled Fritillary

Large orange butterfly with heavy black markings and silver spots on the hindwing underside. Common across much of North America.

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Did You Know?

Newly hatched caterpillars do not eat until the following spring after overwintering.