Metisella malgacha
Species of butterfly
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Metisella malgacha, the grassveld sylph, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It is found in the Cape, Free State, Lesotho, Transvaal, and KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. The habitat consists of grassland and grassy areas in the fynbos and Karoo.[2]
| Grassveld sylph | |
|---|---|
| |
| M. malgacha ssp. malgacha | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Clade: | Pancrustacea |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Hesperiidae |
| Genus: | Metisella |
| Species: | M. malgacha |
| Binomial name | |
| Metisella malgacha | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
The wingspan is 25–29 mm for males and 27–31 mm for females.[3]
Flight period is between August and May with several broods possible or December to January at highest elevations.[3]
The larvae feed on Ehrharta erecta.
Subspecies
- Metisella malgacha malgacha (South Africa: Mpumalanga, North West Province, Gauteng, Free State Province, KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape Province, Western Cape Province, Northern Cape Province)
- Metisella malgacha orina Vári, 1976 (Lesotho, South Africa: Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal – Drakensberg)
