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

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.

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[]

^ Platylesches at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms
^ ^a ^b ^c 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

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[1] Platylesches at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms

[Woodhall-2] Woodhall, Steve (2005). Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa. Cape Town, South Africa: Struik. ISBN 978-1-86872-724-7.

[ATBUT-3] Afrotropical Butterflies: Hesperiidae - Subfamily Hesperiinae

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