English: Plate from British Moths and their Transformations. Volume I (1845). Plate 2: Jasminum officinale; Solanum dulcamara. Acherontia atropos
Date 1854
Source British Moths and their Transformations. Volume I (1845)
Author Henry Noel Humphreys and John Obadiah Westwood
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BMAT1-2.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