Platylesches sp.

Cock, Matthew J. W. & Congdon, Colin E., 2013, Observations on the Biology of Afrotropical Hesperiidae (Lepidoptera). Part 5. Hesperiinae incertae sedis: Dicotyledon Feeders, Zootaxa 3724 (1), pp. 1-85 : 63

Platylesches sp. moritili group

In Côte d’Ivoire, Vuattoux (1999) records caterpillars of Pl. batangae ( Holland) reared on Pa. congensis , a large tree on the banks of the Bandama River and Maranthes polyandra , a small tree of the burnt savannahs. Maranthes polyandra was previously placed in the genus Parinari ( Tropicos 2012) , but is now the only recorded Platylesches food plant not in the genus Parinari . These food plant records are repeated by Larsen (2005), who raised the question as to whether this was true Pl. batangae . Subsequently, Collins & Larsen (2008) showed that Pl. batangae had been misidentified by Evans (1937) and subsequent workers, and that several undescribed species were involved. The species that Vuattoux reared ( Figure 69 ) is now known from Gambia east to Côte d’Ivoire and will shortly be described (Larsen in press).

Figures

FIGURE 69. Voucher specimens of Platylesches sp. moritili group, collected on Parinari congensis, Lamto, N’Douci, Côte d’Ivoire; identified as Pl. batangae in Vuattoux (1999). Above, male, collected 1 Dec 1980; pupa 6 Dec; adult 15 Dec; ref 1 98 (R. Vuattoux). Below, female, collected 27 Feb 1982; pupa 5 Mar; adult 12 Mar; ref. 16 18 (R. Vuattoux). Scale bar = 10mm.