Context : The ( Zeeman- ) Doppler imaging studies of solar-type stars very often reveal large high-latitude spots . This also includes F stars that possess relatively shallow convection zones , indicating that the dynamo operating in these stars differs from the solar dynamo . Aims : We aim to determine whether mean-field dynamo models of late-F type dwarf stars can reproduce the surface features recovered in Doppler maps . In particular , we wish to test whether the models can reproduce the high-latitude spots observed on some F dwarfs . Methods : The photometric inversions and the surface temperature maps of AF Lep were obtained using the Occamian-approach inversion technique . Low signal-to-noise spectroscopic data were improved by applying the least-squares deconvolution method . The locations of strong magnetic flux in the stellar tachocline as well as the surface fields obtained from mean-field dynamo solutions were compared with the observed surface temperature maps . Results : The photometric record of AF Lep reveals both long- and short-term variability . However , the current data set is too short for cycle-length estimates . From the photometry , we have determined the rotation period of the star to be 0.9660 \pm 0.0023 days . The surface temperature maps show a dominant , but evolving , high-latitude ( around +65° ) spot . Detailed study of the photometry reveals that sometimes the spot coverage varies only marginally over a long time , and at other times it varies rapidly . Of a suite of dynamo models , the model with a radiative interior rotating as fast as the convection zone at the equator delivered the highest compatibility with the obtained Doppler images . Conclusions :