Platylesches moritili
Encyclopedia
The Honey Hopper or Common Hopper (Platylesches moritili) is a butterfly
of the Hesperiidae family. 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 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.
The larvae feed on Parinari curatellifolia
.
Butterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
of the Hesperiidae family. It is found from KwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal is a province of South Africa. Prior to 1994, the territory now known as KwaZulu-Natal was made up of the province of Natal and the homeland of KwaZulu....
, north along the coast and hinterland to Maputaland
Maputaland
Maputaland is a region of southern Africa situated in the northern part of the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, and may also refer to the southern-most region of Mozambique. The South African section was also previously known as Tongaland after the Tonga people who live there, and is...
and from Mpumalanga
Mpumalanga
Mpumalanga , is a province of South Africa. The name means east or literally "the place where the sun rises" in Swazi, Xhosa, Ndebele and Zulu. Mpumalanga lies in eastern South Africa, north of KwaZulu-Natal and bordering Swaziland and Mozambique. It constitutes 6.5% of South Africa's land area...
to northern Gauteng
Gauteng
Gauteng is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. It was formed from part of the old Transvaal Province after South Africa's first all-race elections on 27 April 1994...
and from the central Limpopo Province to Pafuri.
The wingspan
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
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.
The larvae feed on Parinari curatellifolia
Parinari curatellifolia
Parinari curatellifolia is an evergreen tropical tree of Africa, found in various kinds of deciduous woodland most frequently in poorly drained areas and inland at moderate altitudes...
.