Platylesches moritili

Platylesches moritili
Platylesches moritili figure 11
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Hesperiidae
Genus:	Platylesches
Species:	P. moritili
Binomial name
Platylesches moritili (Wallengren, 1857)[1]
Synonyms
Hesperia moritili Wallengren, 1857 Apaustus zephora Plötz, 1884 Pamphila heterophyla Mabille, 1891 Pamphila amadhu Mabille, 1891 Platylesches moritili f. costalis Aurivillius, 1925

Platylesches moritili, the honey hopper or common hopper , is a butterfly of the Hesperiidae family. It is found in Africa. In South Africa, it is found from KwaZulu-Natal, north along the coast and hinterland to Maputaland and from Mpumalanga to northern Gauteng and from the central Limpopo Province to Pafuri. The habitat consists of savanna and riverine forest.

The wingspan is 31–33 mm for males and 33–35 mm for females. Adults are on wing year round, but are more common from March to May and from October to December.^[2]

The larvae feed on the young foliage of Parinari curatellifolia. They are leaf green with a black to brown head. They spin leaf shelters held in place by strands of white silk.^[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