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 | |
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| Platylesches galesa figure 7 | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Hesperiidae |
| Genus: | Platylesches |
| Species: | P. galesa
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| Binomial name | |
| Platylesches galesa | |
| Synonyms | |
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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 edit
- ^ 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
Data related to Platylesches galesa at Wikispecies
Media related to Platylesches galesa at Wikimedia Commons
