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The name death's-head hawkmoth refers to any of three moth species of the genus Acherontia (Acherontia atropos, Acherontia styx and Acherontia lachesis). The former species is found throughout Africa and in Europe, the latter two are Asian; most uses of the common name refer to the African species.
Acherontia lachesis, the greater death's head hawkmoth or bee robber, is a large (up to 13 cm wingspan) [1] sphingid moth found in India, Sri Lanka and much of the East Asian region. It is one of the three species of death's-head hawkmoth genus, Acherontia. The species was first described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1798.
Acherontia atropos, the African death's-head hawkmoth, is the most widely recognized of three species within the genus Acherontia (the other two being Acherontia lachesis and Acherontia styx). It is most commonly identified by the vaguely skull-shaped pattern adorning the thorax , the characteristic from which its common and scientific names ...
Acherontia styx, the lesser death's head hawkmoth or bee robber, is a sphingid moth found in Asia, one of the three species of death's-head hawkmoth. It is very fond of honey, and bee keepers have reported finding dead moths in their hives as a result of bee stings. They can mimic the scent of bees so that they can enter a hive unharmed to get ...
Around 1,450 species of hawk moths are classified into around 200 genera. Some of the best-known hawk moth species are: Privet hawk moth (Sphinx ligustri) White-lined Sphinx (Hyles lineata) Death's-head hawk moth (Acherontia atropos) Lime hawk moth (Mimas tiliae) Poplar hawk moth (Laothoe populi) Convolvulus hawk moth (Agrius convolvuli)
These countries share the belief that if this moth, a messenger of death, appears in your home, someone will die very soon. [ 7 ] In Hawaii , black witch mythology, though associated with death, has a happier note in that if a loved one has just died, the moth is an embodiment of the person's soul returning to say goodbye.
The Sphinginae are a subfamily of the hawkmoths (Sphingidae), moths of the order Lepidoptera.The subfamily was first described by Pierre André Latreille in 1802. Notable taxa include the pink-spotted hawkmoth (Agrius cingulata), being a very common and recognizable species, the death's-head hawkmoths (Acherontia species) of Silence of the Lambs fame, and Xanthopan morganii with its enormous ...
The African Death's-head hawkmoth, Acherontia atropos, also has a species name which references Atropos. The genus of the deadly nightshade, Atropa belladonna , was named after Atropos by Carolus Linnaeus because of the plant's poisonous properties.