# 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.

- **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.

## About

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.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/cf710098-48f4-4553-9764-25efcf0f666c
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/56530
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acherontia atropos
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/28549593/medium.jpg (Rubén F. A., CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.