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Spialia mafa

Mafa sandman
Mafa Sandman Spialia mafa.jpg
In Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Hesperiidae
Genus: Spialia
Species: S. mafa
Binomial name
Spialia mafa
(Trimen, 1870)
Synonyms
  • Pyrgus mafa Trimen, 1870
  • Hesperia oberthuri Aurivillius, 1925
  • Spialia aurivillii Shepard, 1935

Spialia mafa, the Mafa grizzled skipper or Mafa sandman, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It is found in south-western Africa, in KwaZulu-Natal, Botswana, Zimbabwe and from the Cape in South Africa to Sudan and southern Arabia.

These skippers are dark brown with white spots and both sides of the wings.

Wingspan is from 22–26 mm.

Flight period is year-round but peaks from September to April.

The larvae feed on Hermannia, Pavonia and Hibiscus species (including Hibiscus aethiopicus).



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