''Kallima'', known as the oakleaf or oak leaf butterflies, is a genus of

butterflies Butterflies are winged insects from the lepidopteran superfamily Papilionoidea, characterized by large, often brightly coloured wings that often fold together when at rest, and a conspicuous, fluttering flight. The oldest butterfly fossi ...

of the

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end botanical subfamily names with "-oideae", and zo ...

Nymphalinae The Nymphalinae are a subfamily of brush-footed butterflies (family (biology), family Nymphalidae). Sometimes, the subfamilies Limenitidinae, and Biblidinae are included here as subordinate tribe (biology), tribe(s), while the tribe Melitaeini is ...

in the family

Nymphalidae The Nymphalidae are the largest family of butterflies, with more than 6,000 species distributed throughout most of the world. Belonging to the superfamily Papilionoidea, they are usually medium-sized to large butterflies. Most species ha ...

. They are found in

east East is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fact that ea ...

south South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both west and east. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...

and

southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

. 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 Masquerade or Masquerades may refer to: Books * ''Masquerade'' (book), a 1979 children's book by Kit Williams that sparked a worldwide treasure hunt * ''Masquerades'' (novel), a 1995 Forgotten Realms novel by Kate Novak and Jeff Grubb * ''Masq ...

of a dead

leaf A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the plant stem, stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leav ...

, further emphasized by their wing shape.

Taxonomy

This genus has traditionally also included a number of African species, but they are now usually placed in ''

Kallimoides ''Kallimoides'' is a monotypic genus of butterflies in the family Nymphalidae. It contains only one species, ''Kallimoides rumia'', the African leaf butterfly. It is found in Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria, Bioko, Came ...

'', ''

Junonia ''Junonia'' is a genus of nymphalid butterflies, described by Jacob Hübner in 1819. They are commonly known as buckeyes, pansies or commodores. This genus flies on every continent except Antarctica and Europe. The genus contains roughly 30 to 3 ...

'' (alternatively in ''Kamilla'') and '' Mallika''. The following species are currently members of the genus ''Kallima'':"''Kallima'' Doubleday, [1849]"
at Markku Savela's ''Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms'' *''Kallima albofasciata">849]"">"''Kallima'' Doubleday, [1849]"
at Markku Savela's ''Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms'' *''Kallima albofasciata'' Moore, 1877 – Andaman oakleaf *''Kallima alompra'' Moore, 1879 – scarce blue oak leaf *''Kallima buxtoni'' Moore, 1879 *'' Kallima horsfieldii'' (Kollar, 1844) – Sahyadri blue oakleafValappil, 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 *''

Kallima inachus ''Kallima inachus'', the orange oakleaf, Indian oakleaf or dead leaf, is a nymphalid butterfly found in Tropical Asia from India to Japan. With wings closed, it closely resembles a dry leaf with dark veins and is a commonly cited example of camo ...

'' (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 ''Kallima paralekta'', the Indian leafwing or Malayan leafwing, is a species of Nymphalidae, brush-footed butterfly of the genus ''Kallima''. Despite its common names, it is not found in India or Malaysia, but is endemic to Java and Sumatra in In ...

'' (Horsfield, 1829) – Indian leafwing *'' Kallima philarchus'' (Westwood, 1848) – Ceylon blue oakleaf *'' Kallima spiridiva'' Grose-Smith, 1885

Gallery

File:Kallima.philarchus.jpg, '' Kallima philarchus'' File:Kallima paralekta paralekta femelle.jpg, ''

'' female File:Blue Oakleaf (Kallima horsfieldii).jpg, '' Kallima horsfieldii'' File:Orange oak leaf.JPG, ''

'' File:Kallima.limborgi.tribonia.jpg, '' Kallima limborgi''

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1768045 Kallimini Butterflies of Asia Butterfly genera Taxa named by Edward Doubleday