Metisella metis

Metisella metis
Gold Spotted Sylph
female, Cape Town
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Hesperiidae
Genus: Metisella
Species: M. metis
Binomial name
Metisella metis
(Linnaeus, 1764)[1]
Synonyms
  • Papilio metis Linnaeus, 1764

The Gold Spotted Sylph (Metisella metis) is a butterfly of the Hesperiidae family. It is found in the Cape and KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa.

The wingspan is 26–34 mm for males and 30–33 mm for females.[2]

The upperside of the wings are dark brown or black with a number of gold spots.[2]

Flight period is year-round, peaking between September and November and between February and March.[2]

The larvae feed on Stenotaphrum glabrum, Panicum deustum, Ehrharta erecta and Stipa dregeana.

Subspecies

  • Metisella metis metis
  • Metisella metis paris Evans, 1937

References

  1. ^ Metisella, Site of Markku Savela
  2. ^ a b c Woodhall, S. Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa. Cape Town:Struik Publishers, 2005.
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