Death's Head Hawkmoth
Acherontia atropos
This moth can chemically camouflage itself by mimicking the scent of honeybees, allowing it to rob hives without being stung.
- Scientific name
- Acherontia atropos
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Arthropoda › Insecta › Lepidoptera › Sphingidae › Acherontia
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Deciduous woodlands, agricultural fields, gardens, and shrubby hillsides.
- Diet
- Adults primarily raid beehives for honey and feed on tree sap; caterpillars feed on the leaves of nightshades, potatoes, and jasmines.
- Range
- Europe, Africa, Western Asia
- Size
- Wingspan of 90 to 130 mm
- Lifespan
- 5 to 6 weeks as an adult
- Active
- nocturnal
- Threats
- Widespread pesticide use in agriculture, habitat loss, and modern mechanized potato farming which destroys pupae in the soil.
- Safe to approach?
- Completely harmless to humans. If one enters your home, gently trap it under a cup and release it outside. Do not be alarmed if it emits a loud, mouse-like squeak; this is a harmless defense mechanism designed to startle predators.
Acherontia atropos ( African death's head hawkmoth ) is the most widely known of the three species of death's-head hawkmoth. Acherontia species are notorious for a vaguely skull-shaped pattern on the thorax.
Photo: Rubén F. A., CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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