The Death Head Moth, also known as the Death’s-head hawkmoth, refers to any one of three moth species in the genus Acherontia (A. atropos, A. styx, and A. Lachesis). Atropos speciesis most commonly found in Europe and Africa while the other two species are mostly found in Asia. Death head moths are most recognized for the vaguely skull-shaped markings on their thorax and hindwings
The Death Head Moth, also known as the Death’s-head hawkmoth, refers to any one of three moth species in the genus Acherontia (A. atropos, A. styx, and A. Lachesis). Atropos species is most commonly found in Europe and Africa while the other two species are mostly found in Asia. Death head moths are most recognized for the vaguely skull-shaped markings on their thorax and hindwings
Perhaps unsurprisingly because of their markings, death head moths have long been associated with the supernatural and has been seen as an evil omen in many cultures. Death head moths have been featured in various forms of gothic and horror art, literature, and film, including their most famous appearance in Silence of the Lambs.
Death head moths are rather large and can measure anywhere between 3.5-6 in. Their forewings are a dark mottled brown with a speckled pattern of paler browns and the forewings have alternating stripes of brown and orange. The abdomen is a similar brown color with a single dark stripe. Their most distinguishing physical feature is the pattern of short yellow hairs on the thorax that resembles the shape of a human skull.
A.atropos caterpillars are about 6 inches long and havea greenish-brown color and with diagonal stripes of other colors. Near the rearis a curved shaped horn that it uses to distract predators. Caterpillars from A. styx and A. lachesis are a bright yellow and bright green, respectively.
Diet/Behavior
Death head moths exhibit some interesting behaviors. Adults of all species subsist primarily off nectar from flowers and honey that they gather from beehives. They are able to sneak in hives undetected and steal honey because they mimic the scent of bees and are not recognized as intruders. A. atropos larvae feed mostly on the leaves of the potato plant which contain toxic alkaloids. Larvae absorb these toxins and become poisonous to predators.
All three species are capable of producing ahigh-pitched chirp when they are threatened and they flash their thoraxmarkings to deter predators. Death head moths also have small spines on theirlegs, but these are small and cannot do much damage. Death head caterpillarswill resort to biting predators but they lose this ability when they turn intoadults.
Adult death heads have a relatively short lifespan and only live about 6 weeks. Caterpillars take about 3-5 weeks to grow,after which they enter a pupa phase which lasts for about a month. When adultsemerge, they spend the majority of their time feeding and looking foropportunities to mate.
Death Head Moths Interesting Facts
All three species’ taxonomic names atropos, lachesis, and styx refer to Greek mythology and relate to death. Atropos and Lachesis were the names of two of the Moira, beings who cut the threads of life for all living beings. Styx is the name of the river that guides the dead to the underworld.
The poster for the 1991 film Silence of the Lambs features a death head moth, which itself contains a reference to a famous painting by Salvador Dali. In the book upon which the film is based, the main killer places eggs of A. styx in the throats of his victims.
A. atropos is the fastest species of moth in the world and can fly up to 30 mph.
In Bram Stoker’s Dracula, the titular character sends death head moths to his thrall Renfield to eat.
The common name for Acherontia atropos, death's head moth, derives from the fancied facsimile of a human skull on the upper surface of the body. Common in Europe and Africa, these moths have a short proboscis
proboscis
A proboscis (/proʊˈbɒsɪs, -kɪs/) is an elongated appendage from the head of an animal, either a vertebrate or an invertebrate. In invertebrates, the term usually refers to tubular mouthparts used for feeding and sucking.
The Death's-head Hawk-moth is the rebel of the moth world. Strikingly large, with a skull-like marking on its thorax and the ability to squeak when alarmed, the moth was traditionally seen as an omen of death.
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 adults emit a squeak when alarmed, made by expelling air through its proboscis (tongue), which has a structure that vibrates like the reed of a wind instrument. The species is nocturnal, only usually seen in light traps and sometimes in beehives in search of honey.
Adult death heads have a relatively short life span and only live about 6 weeks. Caterpillars take about 3-5 weeks to grow, after which they enter a pupa phase which lasts for about a month. When adults emerge, they spend the majority of their time feeding and looking for opportunities to mate.
Moths can represent change, transformation, and growth. Many cultures see moths as symbols of death and believe they bring messages from the afterlife. Others believe that moths symbolize your intuition and encourage you to trust your inner wisdom.
Those metaphors are often already set out in storytelling and culturally transmitted through generations, such as in the case of iich'aa being represented by a moth, a symbol of love, temptation, and foolishness in Navajo culture.
Moth madness is the dread disease among Nava- jos and is applied to any malady wherein the victim displays fainting, frenzy, spells, trembling, or motor seizure. Thus, an epileptic is assumed to have come into contact with a moth. The butterfly also symbolizes the Mothway myth.
Woolf's description of witnessing a moth's final burst of life before succumbing to death provides narrative conflict to study her experience through a wider lens. Woolf uses figurative language such as metaphor to illustrate her thinking.
The moths are also treated as a clumsy metaphor for Jame Gumb's trans identity: “Caterpillar into chrysalis, or pupa, and from thence into beauty,” Hannibal Lecter says. The moth represents transforming from an undesirable form into a desirable one, as Gumb wishes to do with his “woman suit,” a human-shaped chrysalis.
Massive body with a skull on its head (a trait inherited from its ancestors), they grow up to 120 inches in wingspan. They store hydrochloric acid in their jaws, they use this to spray their enemies, failed mates, predators, prey, or other opponents.
Catocala maestosa, commonly known as the sad underwing, is a species of moth in the family Erebidae. The species was first described by George Duryea Hulst in 1884.
It can be a positive or negative omen, something that signifies an upcoming opportunity or a warning for the future. Some people get the Death Moth tattoo to remind themselves that good things are around the corner, but others have it so they don't forget to make the most of life because death is around the corner.
The species shows sexual dimorphism, as in most Lepidoptera. Female moths of this species tend to be larger than males, appearing bulkier and sporting larger, more robust abdomens. The abdomen of a male Acherotia atropos is less broad, with a pointed distal (lower) abdominal segment.
These countries share the belief that if this moth, a messenger of death, appears in your home, someone will die very soon. In Hawaii, black witch mythology, though associated with death, has a happier note in that if a loved one has just died, the moth is an embodiment of the person's soul returning to say goodbye.
One officer quipped it was because he "skins his humps." He also inserts a Death's-head Moth into the victim's throat because he is fascinated by the insect's metamorphosis, a process that he wants to undergo by becoming a woman.
Red dragonfly symbolism and death are intimately entwined as the end of life's illusions through transformation. While there are many folks who do not acknowledge red dragonfly spiritual meaning or significance beyond being merely an insect species, I beg to differ.
Introduction: My name is Corie Satterfield, I am a fancy, perfect, spotless, quaint, fantastic, funny, lucky person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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_Dorsal.jpg "Death Head Moth Natural History (1)")
