Metisella syrinx

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 of [Good Hope|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, and near Bedford.

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.

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