Plate from Die Schmetterlinge Deutschlands mit besonderer Berücksichtigung ihrer Biologie, Bd. 1-4, by K. Eckstein
Date Published [1913-1923) in Stuttgart, Germany by K.G. Lutz' Verlag.
Source https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/39412
Author Karl Eckstein
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dieschmetterling14ecks_0231.png

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