Metisella syrinx

Bamboo sylph
a
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (IUCN 3.1)[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)[2]
Synonyms
Cyclopides syrinx Trimen, 1868

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.[3]

Distribution

M. syrinx is endemic to the Eastern Cape in South Africa, from Gaika's Kop (near Hogsback), and near Bedford.[1]

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.[4]

Ecology

The larvae feed on the sole bamboo species in South Africa and Lesotho, Bergbambos.

References

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