Kallima, known as the oakleaf or oak leaf butterflies, is a genus of butterflies of the subfamily Nymphalinae in the family Nymphalidae. They are found in east, south and southeast Asia. Their common name is a reference to the lower surface of their wings, which is various shades of brown like a dead leaf.
| Oakleafs | |
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| Kallima inachus, showing the leaf-like appearance of the closed wings, which is typical of the genus. | |
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| Kallima paralekta, male showing the brilliant colors of the upper surfaces of the wings. | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Nymphalidae |
| Tribe: | Kallimini |
| Genus: | Kallima Doubleday, 1849 |
| Type species | |
| Paphia paralekta Horsfield, [1829]
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| Species | |
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See text | |
When the wings are held closed, this results in a remarkable masquerade of a dead leaf, further emphasized by their wing shape.[1]
Taxonomy edit
This genus has traditionally also included a number of African species, but they are now usually placed in Kallimoides, Junonia (alternatively in Kamilla) and Mallika. The following species are currently members of the genus Kallima:[2][3]
- Kallima albofasciata Moore, 1877 – Andaman oakleaf
- Kallima alompra Moore, 1879 – scarce blue oak leaf
- Kallima buxtoni Moore, 1879
- Kallima horsfieldii (Kollar, 1844) – Sahyadri blue oakleaf[4]
- Kallima inachus (Boisduval, 1846) – orange oakleaf, Indian oakleaf, dead leaf
- Kallima limborgii Moore, 1879 – Peninsular Malaya leaf butterfly
- Kallima knyvetti de Nicéville, 1886 – scarce blue oakleaf
- Kallima paralekta (Horsfield, 1829) – Indian leafwing
- Kallima philarchus (Westwood, 1848) – Ceylon blue oakleaf
- Kallima spiridiva Grose-Smith, 1885
Gallery edit
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Kallima paralekta female -
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References edit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kallima.
- ^ Cott, Hugh (1940). Adaptive Coloration in Animals. Oxford University Press. pp. 318–320.
- ^ "Kallima Doubleday, [1849]" at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms
- ^ Takashi Shirôzu & Akinori Nakanishi (1984). "A revision of the genus Kallima Doubleday (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae)". Tyô to Ga. 34 (3): 97–110.
- ^ Valappil, B. and K. Saji. 2015. Kallima horsfieldii Kollar, 1844 – Blue Oakleaf. Kunte, K., P. Roy, S. Kalesh and U. Kodandaramaiah (eds.). Butterflies of India, v. 2.20. Indian Foundation for Butterflies.http://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sp/553/Kallima-horsfieldii