Kallima Explained

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.

When the wings are held closed, this results in a remarkable masquerade of a dead leaf, further emphasized by their wing shape.^[1]

Taxonomy

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

Notes and References

1. Book: Hugh B. Cott

   . Cott . Hugh . Hugh B. Cott . . 1940 . Oxford University Press . 318–320.

2. http://ftp.funet.fi/pub/sci/bio/life/insecta/lepidoptera/ditrysia/papilionoidea/nymphalidae/nymphalinae/kallima/#11801 "Kallima Doubleday, [1849]"] at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms
3. Takashi Shirôzu & Akinori Nakanishi. 1984. A revision of the genus Kallima Doubleday (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae). Tyô to Ga. 34. 3. 97 - 110.
4. 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