Goldspotted Sylph

Goldspotted Sylph

Metisella metis

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Table Mountain National Park

In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%

46 Verified sightings at Table Mountain National Park From 2019 to 2026
129 In all 3 parks
December Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Goldspotted Sylph

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

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Garden Route National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
2 Addo Elephant National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
3 Table Mountain National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Durban 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
2 Cape Town 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Goldspotted Sylph in Table Mountain National Park?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Goldspotted Sylph sighting in Table Mountain National Park on a given day, based on 46 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 97th most-seen of the 344 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Goldspotted Sylph in Table Mountain National Park?

April and August–February

In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Goldspotted Sylph in Table Mountain National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March and May–July, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Goldspotted Sylph?

Between 10 am and 1 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Goldspotted Sylph sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Table Mountain National Park the best place to see a Goldspotted Sylph?

Among the best

Of the 3 parks where we can rate Goldspotted Sylph sightings, Table Mountain National Park ranks 3rd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Garden Route National Park (South Africa, about 10%) and Addo Elephant National Park (South Africa, about 10%).

Where does the Goldspotted Sylph sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Goldspotted Sylph is recorded against all the insects logged in Table Mountain National Park (46 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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