| Bamboo sylph | |
|---|---|
| |
| a | |
| Conservation status | |
 Vulnerable (IUCN 3.1) | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Hesperiidae |
| Genus: | Metisella |
| Species: | M. syrinx |
| Binomial name | |
| Metisella syrinx (Trimen, 1868) | |
| Synonyms | |
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Metisella syrinx, the bamboo sylph or bamboes-walsertjie, 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.
Distribution
M. syrinx is endemic to the Eastern Cape in South Africa, from Gaika's Kop (near Hogsback), and near Bedford.
Description
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.
Ecology
The larvae feed on the sole bamboo species in South Africa and Lesotho, Bergbambos.
References
- ^ Dobson, J.C.H.; Dobson, C.M. (2020). "Metisella syrinx". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T13274A168304455. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-2.RLTS.T13274A168304455.en. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
- 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.
| Taxon identifiers | |
|---|---|
| Metisella syrinx | |
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