Platylesches galesa

Platylesches galesa, the white-tail hopper or black hopper, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It is found in Transvaal, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. It is common in forest and woodland.

Platylesches galesa
Platylesches galesa figure 7
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Hesperiidae
Genus:
Platylesches
Species:
P. galesa
Binomial name
Platylesches galesa
(Hewitson, 1877)[1]
Synonyms
  • Hesperia galesa Hewitson, 1877
  • Pamphila galesa
  • Halpe nigerrima Butler, 1894
  • Platylesches nigricans Holland, 1896
  • Platylesches depygata Strand, 1921

The wingspan is 33–37 mm for males and 36–40 mm for females.[2] Adults are dark brown. The forewings have small hyaline (glass-like) spots and the hindwings have a row of small yellowish discal spots. The abdomen has a white tip.

The larvae feed on Parinari species. Reports of other food plants, mainly grasses, are known to be erroneous. Third instar larvae are light green with black markings and a black head. The fourth instar is pale green with fine darker green mottling and a brown head. The fifth instar is salmon pink with a brown head. The larvae construct a shelter from a whole leaf of their host plant, folded over and closed by fine silk threads.[3]

References
  1. Platylesches at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms
  2. Woodhall, Steve (2005). Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa. Cape Town, South Africa: Struik. ISBN 978-1-86872-724-7.
  3. Afrotropical Butterflies: Hesperiidae - Subfamily Hesperiinae


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