Platylesches tina

Small hopper
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Hesperiidae
Genus: Platylesches
Species: P. tina
Binomial name
Platylesches tina
Evans, 1937[1]

Platylesches tina, the small hopper, is a butterfly of the Hesperiidae family. It is found in Uganda, western Kenya, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Namibia (Caprivi) and the Transvaal. The habitat consists of well-wooded savanna and riverine vegetation.

The wingspan is 25–29 mm.[2] These skippers are brown with light white spots in the middle of both fore and hindwings. The underside of the wings are a light blue.[2] The flight period is from September to October and January to April, with two broods.[2] Adults mud-puddle, feed from bird droppings and have been recorded feeding from the flowers of trees.

The larvae feed on the young foliage of Parinari curatellifolia. They are leaf green with a brown head. The larvae create leaf shelters by taking a whole leaf and folding it in two up the mid-rib, fixing the edges together with closely spaced silk strands.[3]

References

  1. ↑ Platylesches, Site of Markku Savela
  2. 1 2 3 Woodhall, S. Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa, Cape Town:Struik Publishers, 2005.
  3. ↑ Afrotropical Butterflies: Hesperiidae - Subfamily Hesperiinae
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