SATURN 11) AE. General Topics. By Ur. A. Spitz. 
ai4 
There are, however, not the least essential facts for the assumption of mimetic relations, so that, even if the 
principal condition for mimicry - the same habitat — would come true, we should not believe in mimicry. 
We must neither be misled by the fact that the assimilation of antarctic to northern Saturnidae is 
even extended to the larvae. Sometimes we imagine in South Africa to be standing in front of a bush all over 
covered with the larvae of Evdia spini. Stout black Saturnid larvae with transverse belts of golden yellow knobs 
gregariously live on the twigs of the Gaffre-beans (Ervthrina caffra): we obtain from them, however, a Saturnid 
having very little in common with the Evdia, i. e. Urota sinope 11 1/'. (55 cl). 
As in other parts of the world, the Saturnid larvae also live in Africa rarely or never on poisonous plants, 
but all the more on those cultivated by mankind. The so-called wild Mango, the genuine Mange, species of 
Ficus, and above all the imported fruit-trees are preferably attacked, and in Maritzburg it occurred that the 
European peach-trees were entirely stripped of leaves by the native Gynanisa main. Many Saturnidae also live 
on the trees planted for affording shade, and beside the native acacias, mimosae. and sycamores, many species 
feed on the imported European oaks (Ludia smilax, NudaureUa waMbergi etc.), on jasmin etc. Bunaea caffraria 
lives on Geltis. nearly all the well known species accept any eatable foliage, so that one cannot think of an 
interior protection of the larvae by filling their intestines with poisonous leaves. 
The more necessary is an interior protection both for the larva and imago. In dealing with the Indian 
Saturnidae in Yol. X (p. 498) f mentioned the observation that also larvae, that do not burn the human skin 
(Evdia pavoma), secrete some liquid from the hairs breaking off, on being disquieted, exactly like the nettle- 
larvae do. so that we might think of a similar effect against certain enemies. r i he same behaviour is also 
noticed in certain Ethiopian Saturnid larvae, and even very intense burning effects producing considerable 
swellings have been observed, as in Ludia. smilax. 
In accordance with the fact that the lepidoptera yielded from unpoisonous larvae are generally not 
provided with interior protective saps, the Saturnidae are protected in their existence by other ways being 
often very conspicuous in the Ethiopian Fauna. The original, typical Saturnid colouring, showing 4 central 
eyespots which are frequently edged by 2 transverse dashes, is modified in two ways for the protection of the 
individual: on the one hand the eyespots may disappear or become hardly traceable in order to provide an 
adaptational protection, on the other hand they may be changed into frightening eyespots of a defiant colouring. 
The highest degree of safety is of course attained by those forms in which, as in the American Hyperchiria , 
both functions are developed in the same individual as Lobobunaea tyrrlxena from Natal, the closed wings of 
which exhibit a striking resemblance to an insignificant leaf, whereas in reacting upon attacks the malevo¬ 
lently looking eye of a mammal is visible on a bright background. 
The development of such ..frightening eves“ may attain a high degree in Ethiopian Saturnidae. In 
Lobobunaea buehholzi the eye with its piercing glance is bloodshot, and in Lob. phaedusa it represents an exact 
copy of the eye of a wild cat. which must in fact afford the most terrific sight to most of the entomophagans 
forming the favourite food of the ichneumons and civet-cats, because the effect of the eyes is still aggravated 
by the resemblance of the forewings being raised in case of an attack with the ears of mammals. 
In the African country which is mostly rather open, such a protection by terrifying eyes is of parti¬ 
cularly great advantage and very necessary. The struggle for life, which is everywhere exciting in the tropics, 
is enacted here in a most impetuous, cruel, and annihilative way. "Wherever a densely entangled and succulent 
vegetation affords plentiful food for an almost indefinite number of organisms, as is the case in South America 
and India, the number of bloodthirsty beasts of prey may be moderate. But in by far the greatest part of the 
Ethiopian Region the vegetation is not so luxuriant, in many months of the year rather unproductive, dry, 
and besides thorny, the trees and bushes being frequently without leaves and the woods clear. In the same 
way as we have seen in the African butterflies that an uncommonly great number of forms are concealed 
under the protection of mimicry, so that even otherwise non-mimetic families, such as the Lycaenidae, exhibit 
purely mimetic genera, the African Saturnidae also show by far more “defiant forms“ than “protective colours". 
On the other hand the latter colours have attained a remarkably high degree. In Carnegia mirabilis Aur. 
the adaptation to the weather-worn remnants of a leaf has produced a most peculiar distortion of the contours 
of the insect; the distal margins of the wings are irregularly gnawed out. the anal portion of the hindwing is 
extended into a convex lobe, and the apex of the forewing is flattened at the costal margin. 'The 4 central 
eyespots have become irregular groups of small hyaline spots, in order to complete the resemblance of a leaf 
being always perforated in such a state of decay. He who has not seen such insects in nature has hardly an 
idea of the degree of deception thus produced. It even occurred to myself that I took a A of Ludia delegorguei, 
which happened to be on my desk, to be a crumpled piece of packing paper, and I wanted to throw it out of 
the window; only on seizing it, I became aware of my mistake. 
W herever a sufficient degree of safety is not attained by the colouring and the modification of shape, 
it is increased by the habits of the protected insect . We know already from the European Fauna that for instance 
