Metisella syrinx

Bamboo sylph
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Hesperiidae
Genus:	Metisella
Species:	M. syrinx
Binomial name
	Metisella syrinx; (Trimen, 1868)[1]
Synonyms
	Cyclopides syrinx Trimen, 1868;

Metisella syrinx, the bamboo sylph, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It is a rare and highly localised species which is only known from South Africa in the eastern Cape, through southern Lesotho to the extreme south of KwaZulu-Natal. The habitat consists of rocky areas on the summits of mountains, in montane grassland.[2]

The wingspan is 32–34 mm for males and 32–37 mm for females. Adults are on wing from January to February. There is one generation per year.[3]

The larvae feed on Thamnocalamus tessellatus.

References

Metisella at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms
"Afrotropical Butterflies: Hesperiidae - Subfamily Heteropterinae". Archived from the original on 2014-08-19. Retrieved 2012-11-08.
Woodhall, Steve (2005). Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa. Cape Town, South Africa: Struik. ISBN 978-1-86872-724-7.

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[1] Metisella at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms

[ATBUT-2] "Afrotropical Butterflies: Hesperiidae - Subfamily Heteropterinae". Archived from the original on 2014-08-19. Retrieved 2012-11-08.

[3] Woodhall, Steve (2005). Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa. Cape Town, South Africa: Struik. ISBN 978-1-86872-724-7.