Observations on the Biology of Afrotropical Hesperiidae (Lepidoptera). Part 5. Hesperiinae incertae sedis: Dicotyledon Feeders Author Cock, Matthew J. W. C / o CABI Europe - UK, Bakeham Lane, Egham, TW 20 9 TY, UK (e-mail: m. cock @ cabi. org; mjwcock @ btinternet. com) m.cock@cabi.org Author Congdon, Colin E. African Butterfly Research Institute (ABRI), P. O. Box 14308, Nairobi, Kenya (e-mail: colin. congdon @ gmail. com) colin.congdon@gmail.com text Zootaxa 2013 2013-10-25 3724 1 1 85 http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3724.1.1 journal article 134452 10.11646/zootaxa.3724.1.1 3fe084ed-d367-4d5a-9ed0-48882760ba96 1175-5326 5267833 7D05BB2E-4373-4AFB-8DD3-ABE203D3BEC1 Platylesches ayresii Trimen, 1889 This species is found in southern Africa, from southern Mozambique , Botswana and northern South Africa ( Evans 1937 ), in dry grassland. TCEC and colleagues found caterpillars of this species commonly on windswept stony hillsides with short grass and patches of Pa. capensis in north-eastern South Africa (near Krugersdorp, Hillshaven and Magaliesberg, Gauteng province ) in September 2008 , along with those of Pl. neba and Pl. moritili . This is a chamber making species, with a similar eating pattern to that of Pl. tina . Platylesches langa treated below was originally described as a subspecies of Pl. ayresii , and the two are very close. Food plants Woodhall (1994) lists Pa. capensis as the food plant, based on an observation by M.C. Williams, and this record is repeated by Henning et al . (1997) and Woodhall (2005) . TCEC also found caterpillars on Pa. capensis in Gauteng Province , South Africa . Life history The life history has been documented with photographs. The caterpillars make a robust tubular chamber shelter ( Figure 64.1 ), in which it pupates, when the entrance is protected with a valve of about 12 long triangular flaps ( Figure 64.2 ). The final instar head capsule is diffusely marked in red-brown on dark brown ( Figure 64.4 ). The pupa ( Figure 64.5–6 ) is dark grey except for the abdomen which is pale grey.