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Mila'sExotic Plants & CuriositiesA living collection by Luminary OdditiesLuminary Oddities · Natural history & art
Kallima inachus
Lepidoptera / Nymphalidae
Kallima inachus resembles a dry leaf when its wings close. Lines across the forewing and hindwing form a leaf-like network, and controlled predator trials show that prior experience with real leaves delays attacks on the butterfly.
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With the wings folded, the underside forms a leaf-like outline. A dark line crosses both wings as a central vein, with smaller lines resembling lateral veins. [2]
The species occurs in tropical East and Southeast Asia, including southern China. [1]
The caterpillars feed primarily on Strobilanthes shrubs. [1]
In a controlled experiment using domestic chicks, predators previously exposed to unmodified dead leaves waited longer before pecking Kallima inachus than chicks exposed to altered leaves or no leaves. The trials used refrigerated, motionless butterflies, isolating the effect of appearance from escape behaviour. [1]
Leaf-experienced chicks showed no significant difference in attack latency between butterflies and actual dead leaves. These results support masquerade: the butterfly’s appearance can cause a predator to classify it as an inedible object. [1]
Keep the enclosure closed and display it in indirect light, away from heat and damp conditions. Handle the frame by its edges and clean only its exterior according to the maker’s instructions.
Zhang, Yu, Chang, Zhang and Li, Zoological Research 45(6), 1201–1208 (2024) · Accessed 2026-10-11
Suzuki, Tomita and Sezutsu, BMC Evolutionary Biology (2014) · Accessed 2026-10-11
Sources checked 2026-10-11. Illustrations · Luminary Oddities.
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