African death's-head hawkmoth (Acherontia atropos) English: Scanned and archived at www.OldBookArt.com where it was marked as public domain from Europas bekannteste Schmetterlinge. Beschreibung der wichtigsten Arten und Anleitung zur Kenntnis und zum Sammeln der Schmetterlinge und Raupen (Berlin, 1895).
Date 24 February 2012
Source http://www.gallery.oldbookart.com/main.php?g2_itemId=19715
Author Dr F Nemos
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Acherontia_atropos_chenille_Nemos.jpg
The African death's-head hawkmoth (Acherontia atropos) is a species of moth that is most commonly identified by the vaguely skull-shaped pattern adorning the thorax. It is the largest moth in the British Isles and several other regions it inhabits, with a wingspan of 13 cm. The upper wings are dark, creating a stark contrast between them and the lower wings, which range from a bright yellow to a light cream, yellow being the more common. It is commonly found in the southern part of Europe and throughout much of Africa. The African death's-head hawkmoth appears in popular media, including the films The Silence of the Lambs (1991), Dracula (1958), and The Blood Beast Terror (1967).
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Sphingidae
Genus: Acherontia
Species: Acherontia atropos (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms
- Sphinx atropos Linnaeus, 1758
- Acherontia solani Oken, 1815
- Acherontia sculda Kirby, 1877
