Kallima inachus
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Kallima inachus |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
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| ( Boisduval , 1836) |
Kallima inachus , also called Indian leaf butterfly or simply Indian leaf , is a butterfly fromthe noble butterfly family (Nymphalidae).
features
butterfly
The wingspan of this very well camouflaged butterfly is between 90 and 120 millimeters, other sources call it 85 to 95 millimeters. The reason why it is so well camouflaged is that its underside has light brown veins with a white mold spot on the forewing, making it look like a dead leaf. Likewise, a central rib runs over both wings and a spur on the hind wing, which looks like a leaf stem. Both reinforce the impression even more. It owes its German name to this fact. Furthermore, the wings are right angular and taper to a point on the front wings. The upper side is brightly colored with a broad brown, orange and blue stripe and an eye-spot on each forewing. It has a bluish shimmer on the hind wing. There are differences in shape and color between the generations of the dry and rainy seasons. During the rainy season, the moths are generally smaller but more vividly colored. The body is black when viewed from above and brown from below. There are no differences between the sexes. However, the females are usually slightly larger than the males and more red in color underneath.
Underside of the wing reminiscent of a dead leaf
Subspecies Kallima inachus formosana upper side
Subspecies Kallima inachus formosana underside
Doll
Caterpillar
The body of the caterpillar is black with eleven red spines on each segment and yellowish hairs.
Doll
The doll has a simple pale brown colored body with slate colored areas. The rib cage is slightly keeled and conically converges on the stomach and back.
Behavior and way of life
He is a strong and fast flier. You can see him mainly on the rotting fruits on which he feeds. Tree sap attracts him as well as mud puddles where the species has been observed. In the morning the moths come out of their night quarters and sit upside down on low trunks or piles of leaves. There they then spread their wings to sunbathe. During the day they often sunbathe in light-flooded forest areas, where they sit on the leaves with half-open wings. It is very difficult to see them there and they are often startled by game passing by. Despite their good camouflage, they are often attacked by birds, which mainly target the two eye spots on the forewings. Missing wing parts in this area prove this. When attacked by birds or other predators, it simply drops to the ground and remains motionless so that the attacker can no longer find the butterfly.
The species forms two generations per year, one in the rainy season and another during the dry season. These fly from April to October, sometimes until December.
In the Chinese city of Chongqing, it took a generation from egg to butterfly about 50 days. After about 6 days the caterpillar hatches from the egg. The life span of the caterpillar then lasts about 36 days and goes through 5 and sometimes 6 stages until it pupates. The butterfly hatches after about 10 days. Temperatures of 22 to 31.5 ° C and a relative humidity of 48 to 98% are ideal for successful breeding . This cuts the time down to 16 to 23 days.
An average of 245 eggs are laid per female.
The caterpillars feed on nettle plants (Urticaceae) the genus Girardinia and acanthus (Acanthaceae): Hygrophila salicifolia , Lepidagathis formosensis and Strobilanthes (hereinafter referred to Sri Lanka Nillu) TYPES as Strobilanthes capitatus , Strobilanthes flaccidifolius , Strobilanthes glandulifera , Strobilanthes pentastemonoides , Strobilanthes tashiroi and on Polygonum orientale and peach ( Prunus persica ).
distribution and habitat
The species inhabits sunny spots in rainforests as well as wooded river banks. Its distribution area extends from the west over Pakistan , the Indian states of Jammu and Kashmir to the north in the low elevations of the Himalayas further over the western region of the Garhwal of the Indian state of Uttarakhand to the east over the area Kumaon to the western Bengal , the Indian states Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh and other states in the northeast. The species is just as common in the southern states of Madhya Pradesh , Jharkhand , Chhattisgarh , Orissa and Andhra Pradesh along the central Indian highlands of the Western Ghats south to the Shiva temple Bhimashankar in the Sahyadri Mountains . In the east it can be found in the mountain range of the Eastern Ghats only north of the Godavari River . In addition, the species colonizes Nepal , Bhutan and Bangladesh . In Southeast Asia she lives in Burma up to the Tenasserim Mountains , in Thailand , Laos and in western Malaysia as well as in Vietnam . It occurs in the People's Republic of China and Taiwan , and even in Japan .
As a rule, the species lives at altitudes of around 100 to 800 meters. In densely wooded, hilly terrain with heavy rainfall, it also occurs at altitudes of 1800 to 2400 meters. It has been observed that it is also native to the Indian region of Kumaon in tropical deciduous forest between 400 and 1400 meters.
Subspecies
Several subspecies are distinguished.
- Kallima inachus alicia , Joicey & Talbot , 1921; Chun , 1929
- Kallima inachus chinensis , Swinhoe , 1893
- Kallima inachus formosana , Fruhstorfer
- Kallima inachus siamensis , Fruhstorfer , 1912
- Kallima inachus acerifolia Fruhstorfer , 1913
- Kallima inachus boisduvali Moore , 1879
- Kallima inachus buckleyi Moore , 1879
- Kallima inachus eucerca Fruhstorfer , 1898
- Kallima inachus foliacea Fruhstorfer , 1913
- Kallima inachus hugelii Kollar , 1848
- Kallima inachus huttoni Moore , 1879
- Kallima inachus marmorata Fruhstorfer , 1912
- Kallima inachus ramsayi Moore , 1879
- Kallima inachus siccifolia Fruhstorfer , 1913
- Kallima inachus uredinophora Fruhstorfer , 1913
status
It is often found in its area of distribution. It is not uncommon in India, while it is rarely found in China.
swell
literature
- Elizabeth Balmer: Butterflies: Recognizing and Identifying. Parragon Books, 2007, ISBN 9781407512037 , pp. 112/113
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e Kallima inachus on the homepage of the Jonsdorf butterfly house ( Memento of the original from May 28, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed February 23, 2015.
- ↑ a b c d e ButterflyCorner.net , accessed February 23, 2015.
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Encyclopedia of Life , English, accessed on February 24, 2015.
- ↑ a b c Wijbren Landmann: Butterflies: Encyclopedia. Naumann & Göbel, 2002, ISBN 3-6251-0346-X .
- ↑ a b c Learn about Butterflies , English, accessed on February 24, 2015.
- ^ Indian travel letters by Ernst Haeckel, Chapter XVIII , accessed on February 23, 2015.
Web links
- Images on Butterflies of India , accessed February 23, 2015