Dead Leaf Butterfly
Kallima inachus
Flip it over and it's a dead leaf
The Dead Leaf Butterfly's forewings are bright orange with a diagonal black band on top, but the underside looks just like a dead leaf, down to a central vein and fungal-looking spots. Closed at rest it is nearly invisible, and its flash from drab to bright when startled often loses a pursuing bird.
Key figures
- Wingspan
- About 85–100 mm, with an extreme color contrast between the upper and lower wing surfaces
- Life cycle
- In warm regions several generations occur each year, and adults can overwinter
- Habitat
- Subtropical evergreen broadleaf forest and shaded, damp forest edges
- Diet
- Larvae feed on leaves of Acanthaceae and related plants; adults favor tree sap and rotting fruit
- Mimicry
- The underside pattern closely mimics a dead leaf, right down to a convincing central vein and fungal-looking spots
- Camouflage at rest
- With its wings closed at rest, it looks like a dead leaf hanging on a twig and is almost impossible to spot
Life cycle
Egg → Larva → Pupa → Adult (can overwinter)
Ecological role
Adult Dead Leaf Butterflies favor tree sap and rotting fruit and rarely visit flowers to pollinate; with wings closed at rest, revealing a leaf-like underside, they are one of the classic camouflage examples of tropical and subtropical forest understories.
Did you know
Every Dead Leaf Butterfly's "leaf" is different: vein pattern, fungal-looking spots, even tiny clear patches mimicking insect-bored holes all vary — so birds never learn one search image to spot them by.
Range
Southern China, Southeast Asia, and the Himalayan foothills of South Asia
Status
Common
Anatomy
- Wing underside — The underside pattern closely mimics a dead leaf, right down to a convincing central vein and fungal-looking spots
- Forewing — The upper side of the forewing is bright orange crossed by a diagonal black band, looking like an entirely different insect from the underside
- Tail projection — A thin, pointed projection extends from the hindwing tip, resembling a leaf stalk when at rest
- Antennae — The slender, club-shaped antennae lie flat against the leading edge of the forewings when at rest
- Compound eyes — The relatively small compound eyes are hidden within the shadowed outline of the leaf disguise
- Abdomen — The slender abdomen tucks between the closed wings at rest, staying out of sight
Open the interactive 3D specimen