Oakleaf butterflies in the genus Kallima have a polymorphic wing phenotype, enabling these insects to masquerade as dead leaves. This iconic example of protective resemblance provides an interesting evolutionary paradigm that can be employed to study biodiversity. We integrated multi-omic data analyses and functional validation to infer the evolutionary history of Kallima species and investigate the genetic basis of their variable leaf wing patterns. We find that Kallima butterflies diversified in the eastern Himalayas and dispersed to East and Southeast Asia. Moreover, we find that leaf wing polymorphism is controlled by the wing patterning gene cortex, which has been maintained in Kallima by long-term balancing selection. Our results provide macroevolutionary and microevolutionary insights into a model species originating from a mountain ecosystem.

Kallima属的 Oakleaf 蝴蝶具有多态的翅膀表型，使这些昆虫能够伪装成枯叶。这个保护性相似的标志性例子提供了一个有趣的进化范式，可用于研究生物多样性。我们整合了多组学数据分析和功能验证来推断Kallima物种的进化历史并研究其可变叶翼模式的遗传基础。我们发现Kallima蝴蝶在喜马拉雅东部多样化，并分散到东亚和东南亚。此外，我们发现叶翅多态性受翅膀图案基因皮层控制，该基因在Kallima中得到维持通过长期平衡选择。我们的结果为起源于山区生态系统的模型物种提供了宏观进化和微观进化的见解。