BRAHMAEIDAE. General Topics by I)r. A. Seitz. 
349 
12. Family: Brahmaeidae. 
This family, as we already stated in Vol. II (p. 227), contains but very few, rather similar though most 
peculiar species. The imagines are brown with an extremely complicated marking occurring in no other lepidoptera; 
the characteristic asymmetry of this marking was already pointed out at the place quoted above. In the 
palaearctic B. japonica and the Indian hearseyi it is the most conspicuously exhibited by the inner-marginal 
speculum of the forewing, where the pupilled spots situate on the submedian are never on the left wing of the 
same number, size, and position as on the right; in the African B. lucina the two sides of the imago differ from 
each other in the small dark spots situate around the cell-end of the forewing. 
The systematic position is less distinctly shown by the imagines than by the early stages. The kind 
and position of certain peculiar horns, 4 of which are particularly well developed on the anterior portion of 
the larva and one at the anal end, prove the fact that the Brahmaea are nothing else but the palaearctic 
representatives of the widely distributed American family of the Ceratocampidae which neither contain very 
many species. In the later larval stages these horns disappear or they are strongly modified, whereby the 
connection with the similarly endowed Agliinae is evinced. The variability of the Aglia tau exhibited by their 
melanistic tendency which was formerly almost unknown, but which increases most remarkably since 50 years, 
is parallelled by the Brahmaea which most peculiarly differ not only individually, but even on the two sides 
of a specimen. 
The fact that the larval horns of the Brahmaea are organs intended for frightening is manifested above 
all by their application. Almost in exactly the same way as the larva of Citheronia regalis in America the larva 
of Brahmaea bramarbas takes up an unmistakable threatening or frightening position when danger is imminent. 
It rises high on the remarkably long-extensible abdominal legs, lifting its front part like a sphinx and rolling 
its head downwards, whereby the 4 large pointed spikes of the thoracal segments extend upwards and forwards 
as curved thorns. The larva of bramarbas only differs from that of Eacles in besides stretching the last segment 
with its thick thorn high up above the dorsum. The Indian Brahmaea hearseyi were observed by R. Mell 
to struggle vehemently with their front parts exhibiting long corkscrew-like protuberances, and to crackle 
distinctly with their maxillae. 
In fact, however, this threatening posture only feigns defensive powers. The larvae of Brahmaea, as 
much as they are known, are very frail and delicate; they feel extremely flabby and soft, and even the least 
touch seems to harm them, so that it is best not to catch hold of them at all. 
The breeding of the larvae of Brahmaea requires also otherwise their most careful and cautious treatment. 
Although the family is represented in the most rainy districts, it seems not to stand wet food in captivity; 
besides, it is also very sensitive against food of inferior quality, and excepting the somewhat stronger Br. japonica ,, 
the insects are not easy to breed. 
As to the general characterization of the family, we refer to what has been said in Vol. II, p. 227. 
The African Brahmaea exhibit a habitus very much like that of the Palaearctic-Indian ones, but they can be 
distinguished from them at once by the presence of the submarginal ocelli also beneath. There are, however, 
also greater structural differences between the Indian and African members of this genus, so that the generic 
separation of the African species is justified. According to Jordan’s research, Spiramiopsis comma Hmps. 
also belongs hereto, having been dealt with among the Etipterotidae (p. 296, pi. 44 c) and distinguished from 
Dactyloceras by the absent submarginal ocelli and undulate lines, and the short-stalked veins 6 and 7 of the 
hindwing. 
