Death's-head Hawkmoth

Encyclopedia : D : DE : DEA : Death's-head Hawkmoth

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, and is commonly observed raiding beehives for honey. The sound is produced by expelling air from its pharynx. There is some contradiction in reports on whether the moth is able to enter a hive and feed undisturbed, or meets resistance and fights using its wings, usually being defeated.

The A. atropos is also very large, with a wingspan of 90-130mm (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.

External links

From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.