Girish Mahajan (Editor)

Metisella aegipan

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Kingdom
  
Animalia

Class
  
Insecta

Family
  
Hesperiidae

Scientific name
  
Metisella aegipan

Phylum
  
Arthropoda

Order
  
Lepidoptera

Genus
  
Metisella

Rank
  
Species

Metisella aegipan, the mountain sylph or Shaka's ranger, is a butterfly of the Hesperiidae family. It is found in the mountains of the Cape in South Africa and in Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Lesotho. The habitat consists of wetlands, marshy places, and grassy gullies in montane grassland.

The wingspan is 28–34 mm for males and 28–36 mm for females.

These small to medium-sized skippers are brown on the upperside and yellow brown on the underside. They have a yellow patch on the upperside forewing.

Their flight period is between December and February with a single brood.

Subspecies

  • Metisella aegipan aegipan (South Africa, Lesotho)
  • Metisella aegipan inyanga Evans, 1955 (Zimbabwe, Mozambique)
  • References

    Metisella aegipan Wikipedia