Death's-head hawkmoth

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Death's-head hawkmoth
Acherontia lachesis MHNT Female Nilgiri (Tamil Nadu) Dorsal.jpg
Acherontia lachesis
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Sphingidae
Tribe: Acherontiini
Genus: Acherontia
Laspeyres, 1809
Species

A. atropos — African death's head hawkmoth
A. styx — lesser death's head hawkmoth
A. lachesis — greater death's head hawkmoth

Larva Acherontia-Kadavoor-2016-06-23-001.jpg
Larva
Thorn-like horn on the back Acherontia-Kadavoor-2016-06-23-003.jpg
Thorn-like horn on the back

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. These moths are easily distinguishable by the vaguely human skull-shaped pattern of markings on the thorax. They are large nocturnal moths with brown and yellow or orange coloring, and all three species are fairly similar in size, coloration and life cycle.

Description

The African death's-head hawkmoth (Acherontia atropos) is the largest moth in the British Isles (though not in Africa), with a wingspan of 13 cm (5 in); it is a powerful flier, having sometimes been found on ships far from land. The forewings are a mottled dark brown and pale brown, and the hind wings are orangey-buff with two narrow dark bands parallel with the hind margin. The abdomen is a similar orangey-brown, with a broad, dark dorsal stripe. The most notable feature is a patch of short yellowish hairs on the thorax that gives the impression of depicting a human skull. It is a striking insect, but is seldom seen because it flies late in the night. [1]

A 2020 study describes how, when viewed upside-down, Acherontia atropos creates an illusion of a head with eyes: the mark on its thorax likened to a human skull is the "nose", with the skull's eye-sockets resembling nostrils. Spots on its forewings can be seen as eyes, and various other markings and features can be interpreted as ears, muzzle and lips. This illusion is also present in Agrius convolvuli (convolvulus hawk-moth) and five other species, with the study author suggesting that the function of the illusion of an eyed head is "almost certainly to deter, distract or otherwise deceive predators". [2]

The caterpillar of the African death's-head hawkmoth is also sturdy and somewhat variable in colour, being some shade of buff, green or brown, with seven diagonal blue lines. At the rear is a curved, thorn-like horn. It can attain a length of 5 to 6 in (13 to 15 cm). The other two species of death's-head hawkmoth similarly have three larval color forms: typically, green, brown and yellow. The pupa is stout and reddish-brown, and is formed 8 to 10 in (20 to 25 cm) under the ground in a chamber the size of a large hen's egg. [1]

Development

Eggs are laid singly under old leaves of a host plant and are green or greyish-blue. In the greater death's-head hawkmoth the host plant is usually the potato, but may also be tomato, woody nightshade, jasmine or common buckthorn. None of the three species is restricted to a single family of host plant, but hosts are typically in the families Solanaceae, Verbenaceae, Oleaceae, Bignoniaceae and others. The larvae are stout, reaching 120–130 mm, with a prominent tail horn. Larvae do not move much, and will click their mandibles or even bite if threatened. When mature, they burrow underground and excavate a chamber where they pupate.

Behaviour

These moths have several unusual features. All three species have the ability to emit a loud chirp if irritated. The sound is produced by inhaling and expelling air, which vibrates the epipharynx like an accordion, often accompanied by flashing of the brightly colored abdomen in a further attempt to deter predators. The chirp of the death's head hawkmoth takes approximately one-fifth of a second. A study by National Geographic found that the epipharynx was originally built to suck up honey, but later evolved to produce sound. [3]

Adults of all three species are commonly observed raiding beehives of different species of honey bee; A. atropos only invades colonies of the well-known western honey bee, Apis mellifera, and feeds on both nectar and honey. They can move about in hives without being disturbed because they mimic the scent of the bees and are not recognised as intruders. [4] If their disguise is discovered, the moth's thick waxy cuticle helps to protect it against stings.

Leaves of the potato plant contain calystegines, a group of polyhydroxy alkaloids, which are toxic. The larva of A. atropos feeding on potato foliage accumulates these alkaloids. [5]

The species names atropos , lachesis and styx are all from Greek myth and related to death. The first refers to the member of the three Moirai who cuts the threads of life of all beings; the second to the Moira who allots the correct amount of life to a being; and the last refers to the river of the dead. In addition the genus name Acherontia is derived from Acheron, a river of Greek myth that was said to be a branch of the river Styx.

According to John Jarvis Bisset in his 1875 work Sport and War in South Africa, "The death's-head moth, as found in South Africa, is about the size and length of a man's finger, and it has a most perfect death's-head-and-marrowbones painted by Nature with all her beauty on its back. The legend both amongst the Dutch and the natives of the Cape of Good Hope, is, that this moth has a sting, and that a puncture from it causes instant death. This moth is generally found in beehives, particularly when they are in the ground or in decayed trees."

The skull-like pattern and its fanciful associations with the supernatural and evil have fostered superstitious fears of Acherontia species, particularly Acherontia atropos, perhaps because it is the most widely known. The moths' sharp, mouse-like squeaking intensify the effect. Nor is this a new attitude: during the mid-19th century, entomologist Edward Newman, having earlier mentioned the mark on the thorax wrote: "However, let the cause of the noise be what it may, the effect is to produce the most superstitious feelings among the uneducated, by whom it is always regarded with feelings of awe and terror." [6]

According to legend, the species (atropos) was first seen in Britain at the time of the execution of King Charles I, [7] but it is more likely to have simply become more common by that time, having arrived with the first transportation of potatoes some decades earlier. Though rarer, it is still occasionally sighted in the country. [8]

Edgar Allan Poe's short story The Sphinx describes a close encounter with a death's-head sphinx moth, describing it as "the genus Sphinx, of the family Crepuscularia of the order Lepidoptera." [9]

These moths have often been featured in art, such as by German artist Sulamith Wülfing and English artist William Holman Hunt in his 1851 painting The Hireling Shepherd .

Films such as Un Chien Andalou (1929, by Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí) and the 1991 film The Silence of the Lambs (and in Chapter 33 of the source novel, whereas in Chapter 14 a different moth species is used, the black witch moth [10] ) feature the moth. The death's-head moth also featured in the 1968 horror film The Blood Beast Terror starring Peter Cushing. The species Acherontia atropos is mentioned, though the costume of the human-moth hybrid creature is not an accurate representation of the moth. [11] The moth plays a central role in the 2015 Taiwanese horror film The Tag-Along . [12]

In 2018 survival horror game, Remothered: Tormented Fathers by Italian artist Chris Darril, they represent both the transformation and the human psyche. They also work as a parasite which interfere with people's memories, old repressed events, and feelings of guilt. [13] [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sphingidae</span> Family of insects

The Sphingidae are a family of moths commonly called sphinx moths, also colloquially known as hawk moths, with many of their caterpillars known as "hornworms"; it includes about 1,450 species. It is best represented in the tropics, but species are found in every region. They are moderate to large in size and are distinguished among moths for their agile and sustained flying ability, similar enough to that of hummingbirds as to be reliably mistaken for them. Their narrow wings and streamlined abdomens are adaptations for rapid flight. The family was named by French zoologist Pierre André Latreille in 1802.

<i>Agrius cingulata</i> Species of moth

Agrius cingulata, the pink-spotted hawkmoth or sweetpotato hornworm, is a moth in the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1775.

<i>Agrius convolvuli</i> Species of moth

Agrius convolvuli, the convolvulus hawk-moth, is a large hawk-moth. It is common throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and New Zealand, partly as a migrant. In New Zealand, it is also known as the kumara moth, and in the Māori language as hīhue.

<i>Psilogramma menephron</i> Species of moth

Psilogramma menephron, the privet hawk moth or large brown hawkmoth, is a member of the family Sphingidae. It was described by Pieter Cramer in 1780. It is usually found in Sri Lanka, India, Nepal, central and southern China, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines. Psilogramma casuarinae from eastern Australia was long treated as a synonym but is now thought to be a distinct species. The introduced population on Hawaii was first thought to be P. menephron, but is Psilogramma increta.

<i>Acherontia styx</i> Species of moth

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 honey. Their tongue, which is stout and very strong, enables them to pierce the wax cells of the beehive and suck the honey out. They are also known to be a pest of yuzu in South Korea, using their tongue to pierce and damage the fruit.

<i>Daphnis nerii</i> Species of moth

Daphnis nerii, the oleander hawk-moth or army green moth, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. It was described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.

<i>Acherontia atropos</i> Species of moth

Acherontia atropos, the Africandeath's-head hawkmoth, is the most widely recognized of three species within the genus Acherontia. It is most commonly identified by the vaguely skull-shaped pattern adorning the thorax, the characteristic from which its common and scientific names are derived. The species was first given its scientific name by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.

<i>Hyles gallii</i> Species of moth

Hyles gallii, the bedstraw hawk-moth or galium sphinx, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by S. A. von Rottemburg in 1775.

<i>Daphnis hypothous</i> Species of moth

Daphnis hypothous, the jade hawkmoth, is a moth of the family Sphingidae described by Pieter Cramer in 1780. It is known from Sri Lanka, southern and northern India, Nepal, Myanmar, southern China, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia. It is a rare vagrant to the Western Palaearctic realm. During the last hundred years a number have been discovered within the Middle East and one was even found in Scotland late in the 20th century but this was probably imported as a pupa with cargo.

<i>Theretra clotho</i> Species of moth

Theretra clotho, the common hunter hawkmoth, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. It is found from Sri Lanka, India, Nepal and Myanmar, east through China to Taiwan, South Korea and Japan, and then south-east through South East Asia as far as the Lesser Sunda Islands and Timor in Indonesia. They can disperse long distances and may be found up to northern China. The habitat consists of open forests, forest edges, orchards, plantations, wooded scrubs, suburban gardens and city parks.

<i>Acherontia lachesis</i> Species of moth

Acherontia lachesis, the greater death's head hawkmoth or bee robber, is a large sphingid moth found in India, Sri Lanka and much of the Oriental 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. It is nocturnal and very fond of honey; they can mimic the scent of honey bees so that they can enter a hive unharmed to get honey. Their tongue, which is stout and very strong, enables them to pierce the wax cells and suck the honey out. This species occurs throughout almost the entire Oriental region, from India, Pakistan and Nepal to the Philippines, and from southern Japan and the southern Russian Far East to Indonesia, where it attacks colonies of several different honey bee species. It has recently become established on the Hawaiian Islands.

<i>Sphinx morio</i> Species of moth

Sphinx morio, the larch hawk moth or Asian pine hawkmoth, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. It is found in Russia, the Korean Peninsula, Japan and China.

<i>Hippotion velox</i> Species of moth

Hippotion velox, the dark striated hawkmoth, is a species of sphingid moth or the family Sphingidae. The species was described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1793.

<i>Macroglossum corythus</i> Species of moth

Macroglossum corythus is a species of hawk moth of the family Sphingidae. It was described by Francis Walker in 1856 and is found throughout the Indo-Australian tropics east to New Caledonia.

<i>Macroglossum divergens</i> Species of moth

Macroglossum divergens, the broad-bordered hummingbird hawkmoth, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. It was described by Jean Baptiste Boisduval in 1875. It is found from north-eastern Sikkim, India across southern China to Cheju Island, southern Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines and then south through Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia to New Guinea and neighbouring islands. It may be in Sri Lanka.

<i>Amplypterus panopus</i> Species of moth

Amplypterus panopus, the mango hawkmoth, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Pieter Cramer in 1779. It is found in Sri Lanka, southern and northern India, Nepal, Myanmar, southern China, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Indonesia and the Philippines.

<i>Theretra pallicosta</i> Species of moth

Theretra pallicosta, the white-edged hunter hawkmoth, is a moth of the family Sphingidae described by Francis Walker in 1856. It is found from Sri Lanka and India, east through Nepal, Bangladesh and Myanmar to Hong Kong and Taiwan and south through Thailand, Laos and Vietnam to Peninsular Malaysia and Indonesia.

<i>Sphinx caligineus</i> Species of moth

Sphinx caligineus, the Chinese pine hawkmoth, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. It is known from Japan, north-eastern, eastern, central and southern China, South Korea, northern Thailand and southern Vietnam.

<i>Dolbina inexacta</i> Species of moth

Dolbina inexacta, the common grizzled hawkmoth, is a species of moth of the family Sphingidae.

References

  1. 1 2 Hall, Charles A. (1943). A Pocket-Book of British Butterflies, Moths and Other Winged Insects. Adam and Charles Black. pp. 36–37.
  2. ↑ Craik, Clive (October 2020). "A new interpretation of the 'skull' of the Death's-head Hawk-moth Acherontia atropos (Linnaeus, 1758) (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae)". Entomologist's Gazette . 71 (4). Pemberley Books: 273–277(5). doi:10.31184/G00138894.714.1780. S2CID   226342059.
  3. ↑ "Secret of "Death" Moth's Scary Squeak Revealed". National Geographic News. 2015-08-11. Archived from the original on August 13, 2015. Retrieved 2017-08-28.
  4. ↑ Moritz, R.F.A.; Kirchner, W.H.; Crewe, R.M. 1991. Chemical camouflage of the death's head hawkmoth (Acherontia atropos L.) in honeybee colonies. Naturwissenschaften 78 (4): 179-182.
  5. ↑ Nash, Robert J.; Rothschild, Miriam; Porter, Elaine A.; Watson, Alison A.; Waigh, Roger D.; Waterman, Peter G. (1993). "Calystegines in Solanum and Datura species and the death's-head hawk-moth (Acherontia atropus)". Phytochemistry. 34 (5): 1281–1283. Bibcode:1993PChem..34.1281N. doi:10.1016/0031-9422(91)80016-T.
  6. ↑ Newman, Edward. The Natural History of British Butterflies and Moths. Pub: William Glaisher, London, c. 1870. Downloaded from:
  7. ↑ Denis Larionov & Alexander Zhulin. "The New Forest: its history and its scenery by John Richard de Capel Wise, pg. 177". Ebooksread.com. Retrieved 2011-11-01.
  8. ↑ "'Death's Head' caterpillar found (Thursday, 14 August, 2003)". BBC News. 2003-08-14. Retrieved 2011-11-01.
  9. ↑ "The Sphinx- Edgar Allan Poe". Classiclit.about.com. 2009-11-02. Archived from the original on 2002-12-16. Retrieved 2011-11-01.
  10. ↑ "Chapters 11-20 - the Silence of the Lambs".
  11. ↑ "The Blood Beast Terror".[ permanent dead link ]
  12. ↑ "The Tag-Along at the Internet Movie Data Base". IMDb . 27 November 2015. Retrieved 2016-05-24.
  13. ↑ "'Remothered: Tormented Fathers' is Intense and Enigmatic". 6 March 2018.
  14. ↑ "Remothered: Tormented Fathers | Official Web Site".
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