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Death's-head Hawkmoth

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iDeath's-head Hawkmoth

Image:Acherontia lachesis.jpg

Acherontia lachesis

Conservation status

Not evaluated (NE)

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Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Sphingidae
Genus:	Acherontia

Species

A. atropos
A. styx
A. lachesis

The name Death's-head Hawkmoth usually refers to one of the three species (A. atropos, A. styx and A. lachesis) of moth in the Acherontia genus. Found throughout the Middle East and the Mediterranean region, and increasingly as far north as southern Great Britain due to recently mild British winters, this moth is easily distinguishable by a skull-shaped pattern on its back.

The skull pattern has helped the moth earn a negative reputation, such as associations with the supernatural and evil, and has been featured in art (notably in The Hireling Shepherd) and in the movies The Silence of the Lambs and Un chien andalou. Numerous superstitions also claim that the moth brings bad luck to the house into which it flies.

The moth also has numerous other unique features, such as an ability to emit a loud squeak if irritated. The sound is produced by expelling air from its pharynx. It is commonly observed raiding beehives for honey. It is attacked by guard bees at the entrance, but the thick cuticle and resistance to venom allow it to enter the hive. It is able to move about in hives unmolested because it mimics the scent of the bees (Moritz et al., 1991).

The A. atropos is also very large, with a wingspan of 90-130 mm (three to five inches), being the largest moth in some of the regions in which it is found.

The A. styx has two subspecies, A. styx styx and A. styx medusa.

The species names atropos, styx and lachesis are all death-related. The first refers to the member of the Moirae who cuts the threads of life of all beings in Greek mythology; the second to the river of the dead, also in Greek mythology; and the last refers to the Moira who allots the correct amount of life to a being. Additionally, Medusa was a gorgon, a creature in Greek mythology capable of turning its victims into stone with a single gaze.

The British entomological journal Atropos takes its name from this species.

A. atropos

A. styx

1 Distribution
2 Life cycle
- 2.1 Egg
- 2.2 Larva
- 2.3 Pupa
- 2.4 Adult
3 Host plants
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Distribution

A. atropos is Afrotropical and Mediterranean, occurring as far east as Kuwait and western Saudi Arabia, and as far west as the Canary Islands and Azores. Resident in southern Europe, it invades western Eurasia frequently, although few individuals successfully overwinter (Pittaway, 1993).

[edit] Life cycle

There are several generations a year, with continuous broods in Africa. In the northern parts of its range it overwinters in the pupal stage.

[edit] Egg

Eggs are laid singly under old leaves of the hostplant, and are green or grey-blue (Pittaway, 1993).

[edit] Larva

The larvae are stout wiith a downward-curving 'horn' at the tail end. The larva starts out a light shade of green but darkens after feeding, with yellow stripes diagonally on the sides. In the second instar, it has thorn-like horns on the back. In the third instar, purple or blue edging develops on the yellow stripes and the tail horn turns from black to yellow. In the final instar, the thorns disappear and the larva may adopt one of three colour morphs: green, brown, or yellow (Pittaway 1993). Larvae do not move much, and will click their mandibles or even bite if threatened. It grows to 120-130 mm.

[edit] Pupa

Pupates underground. The pupa is smooth and glossy with the proboscis fused to the body.

[edit] Adult

The adult has the typical streamlined wings and body of Sphingidae. The upper wings are brown with slight yellow wavy lines; the lower wings are yellow with some wide brown waves. It rests during the day on trees or in the litter, holding the wings like a tent over the body. At night it flies collecting nectar from plants or honey from bee hives.

[edit] Host plants

Feeds on Solanaceae: potato especially; also Verbenaceae, Oleaceae and others (Pittaway, 1993).

[edit] References

Moritz, RFA, WH Kirchner and RM Crewe. 1991. Chemical camouflage of the death's head hawkmoth (Acherontia atropos L.) in honeybee colonies. Naturwissenschaften 78 (4): 179-182.