Metisella metis
Metisella metis, the gold spotted sylph, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It is found in the Cape and KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa.
| 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 | |
| Synonyms | |
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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] The 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 (South Africa: Western Cape Province, from the Cape Peninsula, east to the Swellendam district)
- Metisella metis paris Evans, 1937 (Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, South Africa: Limpopo Province, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape Province, Western Cape Province)
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References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Metisella metis. |
- Metisella at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms
- 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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