Platylesches tina

Platylesches tina, the small hopper, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. 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.

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]

The wingspan is 25–29 mm.[2] These skippers are brown with light white spots in the middle of both forewings 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 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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