Platylesches galesa

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;

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.

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

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

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[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.

[ATBUT-3] Afrotropical Butterflies: Hesperiidae - Subfamily Hesperiinae