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

The White-tail Hopper or Black Hopper (Platylesches galesa) is a butterfly of the Hesperiidae family. 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 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 foodplants, 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, Site of Markku Savela
2. Woodhall, S. Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa, Cape Town: Struik Publishers, 2005.
3. Afrotropical Butterflies: Hesperiidae - Subfamily Hesperiinae