Hawk moths are a large family that includes 1,200 species of large and medium-sized butterflies. Because of their special way of feeding, they were nicknamed “northern hummingbirds.” One of the most prominent representatives of the family is the death's head hawk moth. Its wingspan reaches 130 mm, its body weight is 9 g. People’s close attention to the butterfly is explained by the unusual pattern on its chest. The yellow figure on a dark background resembles a human skull. The frightening picture gave rise to various superstitions associated with the moth.
Description of the species
The Death's Head butterfly or Adam's Head belongs to the order Lepidoptera, the hawk moth family. This is the second largest butterfly in Europe, after the pear peacock eye. In Russia, this is the largest representative of the hawk moth family.
Imago
The adult death's head hawk moth is large in size and has a distinctive appearance. The body is thick, fusiform, densely covered with hairs. The chest is brown or bluish-brown, on the back there is a yellow pattern in the form of a skull with empty eye sockets. In some specimens the pattern is unclear or completely absent. The front wings are elongated, their length is twice as long as their width. The wingspan of males is 90-115 mm, and that of females is 110-130 mm. The color of the wings is changeable, the intensity and location of spots and stripes vary.
Most often, the forewings are dark brown; they are divided into three fields by three blurry wavy yellow stripes. The hind wings are oblique, with a notch along the edge in front of the anal angle. The color is bright yellow with two wide black stripes located longitudinally. The outer band is wider and has a jagged edge. Interestingly, the color and width of the stripes can vary. Sometimes they turn brown or merge into one.
Interesting fact. In case of danger, the butterfly makes a piercing squeak. This is an extremely rare phenomenon for a representative of the order Lepidoptera; this is a rare ability. For a long time, the origin of the sound remained a mystery. Only at the beginning of the 20th century. scientist Heinrich Prell discovered that sound is produced by the vibration of the outgrowth of the insect's upper lip.
The head of the moth is black, the antennae are short, rod-shaped, they are sensory organs. On the sides of the head there are large, well-developed eyes. Unlike other hawk moths, the dead head has a short proboscis - 10-14 mm.
The abdomen is wide, ocher-yellow with black half-rings and a gray-blue longitudinal stripe. Sexual dimorphism is weakly expressed, but individuals can be distinguished by size and color - in males, the last 2-3 segments of the abdomen are black or gray-blue. The length of the abdomen is 60 mm, diameter – 20 mm.
Information. In males the abdomen is sharp, while in females it is rounded.
The insect's legs are short and thick. They are covered with four longitudinal rows of strong spines. Hind tibia with spurs. Strong and tenacious legs help the moth adhere to a certain lifestyle. During the day the butterfly is at rest. She sits on tree trunks or litter. Only in the evening does it fly off to find food.
Caterpillar
The death's head hawkmoth larva is quite large. An adult caterpillar is 12-15 cm long. There are individuals with different colors - green, yellow, brown. Lemon yellow is the most common option. A blue stripe runs obliquely across each body segment. Starting from the fourth segment, the back of the caterpillar is dotted with small black dots. On the sides there are larger black spots of a round shape. Specimens with a basic green color are decorated with darker green stripes. The horn in the back of the body is yellow, grainy and rough in structure. It has a double curved shape, similar to the Latin letter S.
Forage plants
The caterpillar and adult hawkmoth death's head are polyphages. Due to the short proboscis, butterflies do not feed on flower nectar. Their food is the sap of trees and damaged fruits. Nutrition is important not only for maintaining the life of the butterfly, but also affects the maturation of eggs in the female. With great pleasure, moths eat the honey of wild and domestic bees. They pierce the honeycomb and drink 5-15 g of sweet honey at a time. Hawkmoths have adapted to steal product from the hive. They are helped to pass guards by a dense cuticle that does not allow poison to pass through. To move freely in the hive, they use chemical camouflage.
Butterflies secrete chemicals that hide their scent and calm the bees. If problems arise, the hawk moth flees. The insect is little sensitive to bee venom. But when attacked by a swarm, the death of the butterfly is inevitable. The hawk moth is not capable of harming the apiary. Insects are found in single individuals, so they are not able to destroy the hive.
Interesting fact. Initially, the theory was considered that, for camouflage, the butterfly makes sounds similar to the queen bee leaving the cocoon. The version turned out to be erroneous, but many beekeepers believe in it.
Caterpillars prefer various types of plants from the nightshade family:
- potato;
- tomato;
- nightshade;
- dope;
- tobacco;
- belladonna.
In the absence of their preferred food, they move to honeysuckle, legumes, olives (lilac, jasmine), cabbage, dill, and hawthorn. Do not bypass fruit trees (plum, apple, pear).
Distribution area
The insect is distributed over a wide area, covering tropical Africa, the island of Madagascar, the Middle East, and the western part of the Palaearctic. The eastern border of distribution passes through Turkmenistan. The species is found in southern Europe, Turkey, Transcaucasia, and Crimea. On the territory of Russia it is seen in the southern and central regions of the European part of the country. Hawkmoth settles in open forests, in fields, prefers a cultivated landscape with shrubs. In the center of Europe it can be found in potato fields. In Transcaucasia it settles at the foot of the mountains at an altitude of up to 700 m.
Migration
The death's head butterfly is a migratory species. Every year, colonies of insects migrate from Africa and other tropical countries to the north. Temporary colonies are formed in new places. The duration of the flight and the border of distribution depend on weather conditions. In warm years, hawk moths migrate to Iceland. In Russia, migrant insects appear in St. Petersburg, in the south of Tyumen, and the Kola Peninsula.
Features of reproduction
In Africa, Acherontiaatropos live and breed all year round, generation after generation. In the Palearctic, butterflies give birth to two generations. In rare cases, during a long warm season - three. Moths are active in the dark, so mating occurs at night. During this period, they are especially attracted to artificial light sources. Fertilized females lay eggs on food plants. The eggs are round, slightly more than 1 mm in diameter. The color is greenish or bluish. There are 20-150 eggs in a clutch.
The hatched larva is light, almost white. In its development, it changes through five ages. The first instar caterpillar is 12 mm in size, light green, and has no characteristic pattern.
In the second instar, a horn appears, which appears large in relation to the body. The color of the outgrowth is brown.
The change of ages occurs after molting. The caterpillar becomes larger in size and new properties appear. By the third instar, the larva acquires a pattern of blue or purple stripes and black dots. Her horn lightens and becomes lumpy.
Larvae of the fourth instar grow to 40-50 mm, their body weight is 4 g. An interesting fact is that the caterpillars always eat the skin remaining after molting.
The fifth instar caterpillar is quite large, reaching 15 cm in length and weighing up to 22 g. It becomes less mobile. When there is a clear threat, the caterpillar bites, but its weak jaws are safe for humans.
The duration of the larval stage is up to 8 weeks. Then it pupates in an underground chamber at a depth of 15 cm. The pupa is smooth, initially yellow in color, then becomes reddish-brown. Pupae do not tolerate frost well; in cold winters with little snow they die en masse. Typically, population recovery is facilitated by migration of insects from the southern regions.
Tachinids, dipterous insects similar to flies, infect caterpillars with their eggs, laying them on food plants. The larvae live in the host's body, gradually eating its organs. Once fully formed, they come out.
Insect protection
In 1984, the death's head hawk moth was listed in the Red Book of the USSR. Today it is quite common and does not need special protection. The butterfly is excluded from the Red Book of Russia. In Ukraine, the insect is classified as a rare species, assigned category III and assigned a place in the Red Book. Most often you can find single individuals of hawk moth. The insect population fluctuates from year to year. The decrease in insect numbers is associated with various factors:
- changes in weather conditions;
- chemical treatment of forage plants;
- uprooting bushes;
- destruction of habitual habitats.
The most favorable situation with the population is in Transcaucasia. The winters here are mild, so the pupae can easily tolerate them. The rarity of the species in other regions is associated with the massive treatment of potato fields with insecticides. Hawkmoth caterpillars die in the process of baiting the Colorado potato beetle. Reproduction of the species occurs only on wild crops of the nightshade family. To preserve the species in the fauna of the Russian Federation, educational work is carried out among schoolchildren about the inadmissibility of extermination of large caterpillars and other insects.
Superstitions and legends
The Latin name of the species, Acherontiaatropos, is associated with Greek myths. Acheron is one of the rivers of the underworld, this word means horror. Atropos is inevitable death, the name of one of the goddesses of fate. The Russian version of the name “Dead Head” is associated with the design of the skull; in many European countries the butterfly is called by this characteristic feature.
The unusual coloring of the butterfly has given rise to many superstitions and myths. She was considered a harbinger of various misfortunes and troubles: wars, epidemics, ruin. In some regions of France, they still believe that a moth scale caught in the eye can cause blindness. Hawkmoth the death's head became the main character of Edgar Allan Poe's story "The Sphinx". An interesting story connects the butterfly and the artist Van Gogh. In 1889, inspired by the unusual appearance of the insect, he painted the painting “Death's Head Hawkmoth.” But the master was mistaken; he depicted a small peacock-eye on the canvas.
The unusual “appearance” of the insect served as a source of inspiration for Edgar Poe, who, having “acquainted” with “The Death’s Head,” wrote the story “The Sphinx,” in which the hero’s imagination transforms a harmless insect
It would seem that what mystical could be in an ordinary butterfly? And what could make her afraid? When it comes to the butterfly Acherontia atropos, also called the Death's Head or Adam's Head, this is not surprising.
Fictions, superstitions and interesting scientific facts about the “Dead Head”
There are many myths and legends around this representative of lepidoptera, due to the unusual appearance of the insect. The main “highlight” of Acherontia atropos is the coloration of the chest, which surprisingly resembles the image of a human skull. This joke of nature is the reason that scientific facts about this butterfly are studied much less often than various kinds of myths.
The same pattern on the back of the butterfly, reminiscent of a human skull, which kept many people in fear for a long time. Photo credit: Pablo MDS.
Truth: what is worth knowing about insects?
Let's start with the fact that even the name of this lepidoptera was chosen based on the myths of Greece. In fact, the name of the insect combines the names of what instilled horror in the inhabitants of ancient Hellas - the cold river of sorrow, Acheron, which goes around the gloomy underworld, and the moira Atropos, which inexorably cut the thread symbolizing human life.
The Death's Head butterfly in all its glory. Photo by: Jose Ramon P.V.
"Adam's Head" belongs to the hawk moth family. The butterfly is quite large in size - its wingspan varies from 13 to 15 cm. Therefore, for Europe this insect is one of the largest.
The Acherontia atropos caterpillar is quite difficult to find; it, as a rule, spends most of its life underground and comes out only to feed; often only part of the caterpillar’s body will come to the surface and eat the greenery that it can reach. But it is also found on plants, in particular in its diet it prefers nightshades and root vegetables of other families (potatoes, carrots), plants whose leaves are accessible at a minimum distance from the ground. The caterpillar will come out of the hole, eat and hide again.
Caterpillar of the Death's Head butterfly. Photo by: Eduardo Marabuto.
Externally, the “dead head” caterpillar is also very impressive; firstly, it has an impressive size - there are specimens 13 centimeters or more in length. Secondly, its body can be divided into three parts, each of which is not similar to the other - on the caudal part there is a specific “tail” - a horn curved twice and resembling the letter of the Latin alphabet - S. The middle part - consists of segments, the surface of which decorated with many dotted inclusions of blue or black color, and closer to the back the inclusions form a peculiar angular pattern, which only this type of caterpillar has. The head part is less interesting, consisting of three segments of uniform color. In general, the “death's head” hawkmoth caterpillar is colored in the same light green, light green tonality, with minor color changes on the tail and front parts of the body. The caterpillar also pupates underground, at this stage it overwinters, and in the spring it “changes clothes” from a pupa into a full-fledged butterfly. This gorgeous butterfly can be observed in various parts of the world: from Africa and Turkey to Madagascar and Crimea, and even Iceland. By the way, these insects migrate periodically, making rather long flights (and why not, if their flight speed is about 50 km/h - the Death's Head Hawkmoth holds the record for the fastest flight among butterflies!). They also squeak in a very peculiar way, and how insects manage to make this sound is not clear even to scientists.
The size of this caterpillar is impressive. Photo by: Laszlo Bolgar.
You need to know that the highest chances of seeing the “Death’s Head” up close are in the evening and at night (before midnight). By the way, you can lure them with the light of a candle or flashlight. And they feed, in particular, on honey. To get it, Acherontia atropos resort to “tactical cunning” - they produce special substances that do not allow bees to “calculate” strangers by smell, penetrate the hive and, breaking through the walls of the honeycomb with their proboscis, suck out the nutritious honey from it. If the trick is revealed, then the hawk moth’s thick hair protects it from bee stings. By the way, there is an opinion that it is the pattern of the skull on the back that allows the hawk moth to freely enter the beehive; supposedly it reminds the bees of the appearance of the queen bee, as a result of which the bees do not prevent the butterfly from enjoying honey.
Dusk is falling and the Adam's Head moth will soon wake up. Photo by: Lepsibu.
The unusual “appearance” of the insect served as a source of inspiration for Edgar Allan Poe, who, having become “acquainted” with “The Death’s Head,” wrote the story “The Sphinx,” in which the hero’s imagination turns a harmless insect next to him into some fantastically unsympathetic creature crawling along the slopes mountains
Cinema was not left out either. The legendary painting “The Silence of the Lambs” is complemented by a line about how a maniac uses the Acherontia atropos pupa - he places it in the victims’ mouths.
During daylight hours, the Death's Head Hawkmoth sleeps in a "dead sleep." Photo credit: Eduardo J Castro.
Several centuries ago, it was these insects that were blamed for the spread of epidemics and it was believed that scales that got into the eyes could cause the loss of vision.
In Russia, for a long time it was believed that if you see the “Dead Head”, you must kill it, so that none of your loved ones die.
No less original misconceptions existed in Europe. So, in Lincolnshire, the author of the book The Antiquary, residents of a certain village reported that the “Death’s Head” caterpillar would soon transform into... a mole. In addition, in England it was believed that the "Adam's Head" was used by soothsayers. Allegedly, they understood the squeak that these insects make, and from it they can understand the names of people who are destined to leave the world of the living in the near future.
Macro shot of the Death's Head hawkmoth butterfly - the insect's compound eyes and short thick antennae are clearly visible. Photo credit: f.scatton.
Due to the fact that the signs associated with this charming butterfly were not the most positive, real persecution began in many of its habitats, the result of which was that in many countries the “Death’s Head” became a rarity and was listed in the Red Book. But now we know that we shouldn’t be afraid of her! It’s much better to just admire!
Elena Samoilova, Kirill Usanov
- Class: Insecta = Insects
- Order: Lepidoptera = Lepidoptera, butterflies
- Family: Sphingidae Latreille, 1802 = Hawkmoths
Species: Acherontia atropos Linnaeus, 1758 = Death's Head
The death's head, or Adam's head, is a massive hawk moth with a wingspan of up to 13 cm, being the largest representative of the hawk moth family in Europe. A characteristic distinctive feature of the Death's Head Hawkmoth is a characteristic pattern on the chest, which in outline resembles a human skull.
The death's head hawkmoth is found in the tropical and subtropical zones of the Old World (in Africa and the western part of the Palaearctic) east to Turkmenistan. The species' habitat covers Southern, partly Central Europe, the Azores, Africa, Madagascar, the Middle East, Syria, Turkey, and Northern Iran. The species is very rare in Crimea, the southern regions of Russia, and has been recorded in the Caucasus. It is generally accepted that the original homeland of European populations of the death's head hawk moth is North Africa, therefore even those populations that live in the south of Europe need periodic replenishment from migrants from more southern regions.
The death's head hawk moth is a species whose individuals annually make migratory flights to the north. At the same time, the duration of migration flights can differ significantly in one year or another depending on weather conditions. Therefore, in favorable years, this hawk moth is celebrated far in the north: in Iceland, near St. Petersburg, Petrozavodsk and even on the Kola Peninsula. In Africa, the death's head is found all year round thanks to continuously successive generations of these hawk moths. The first migrating butterflies in Europe are recorded starting in May (rarely - from March-April), and already during June the first wave of migrating individuals weakens. However, a second wave of migrants follows in August and September.
During the migratory flight to the north, the eggs of fertilized females mature and the butterflies, having found a food plant for future caterpillars, lay eggs and no longer continue the flight. The first butterflies in most cases do not find potato plants in sufficient quantities and lay eggs on other food plant species. Death's head hawk moth in the south of the European part of its range produces two generations per year; in warm autumn, a partial third generation is observed.
The death's head hawk moth prefers dry and sun-warmed areas, found in various landscapes, mainly in valleys, as well as open, shrub-covered habitats. It is found in fields and plantations in the cultivated landscape. In the mountains it is usually found up to an altitude of 700 meters above sea level, although during migration it can fly to altitudes of up to 2500 meters above sea level.
Death's-head hawkmoth adults are active at dusk and until midnight; only males and females that are ready to lay eggs fly well towards artificial light sources. Hawkmoth death's head polyvoltine eurybiont, polyphagous. The nutrition of males and females plays an important role in maintaining life, but it is especially important for the maturation of eggs in the female’s body. To feed the imago, they use flowing tree sap, as well as the juices of damaged fruits and fruits, since the short and thick proboscis does not allow these butterflies to feed on the nectar of flowers.
When sucking tree sap or collecting moisture with its proboscis, the death's head imago, unlike most other species of hawk moths, prefers not to hover in flight, but to land on the substrate near a food source. The death's head hawk moth willingly eats honey, penetrating the nests and hives of wild and domestic honey bees, where it pierces the honeycomb cells with its proboscis and sucks honey, eating from 5 to 15 g at a time. In the nests of bees, these butterflies use chemical mimicry, secreting special chemicals (four fatty acids: palmitoleic, palmitic, stearic and oleic), which mask their own odor and thus calm the bees. 
At the same time, the substances secreted by hawk moths are produced by them in the same concentration and in the same ratio as in honey bees. These butterflies are also insensitive to bee venom, withstanding up to 5 bee stings in experiments.
It has been noticed that the death's-head hawk-moth, when disturbed, emits a piercing squeak - but how exactly the butterfly produces this sound has long remained a mystery. It was only in 1920 that Heinrich Prell discovered that this sound arises as a result of vibrations of the outgrowth of the upper lip of the epipharynx, when the hawk moth sucks air into the throat and pushes it back. Both the caterpillar can make a sound by rubbing its jaws, and the pupa, in case of mechanical irritation several days before the butterfly emerges. These sounds probably serve to scare away enemies.
Death's head, or Adam's head (Acherontia atropos) is a butterfly from the hawkmoth family (Sphingidae).
The largest hawk moth in Europe, with a wingspan of 105-130 mm. Body weight is only 9 g. This is a very large and powerful butterfly.
It has a very characteristic coloring - on the chest there is a yellow pattern reminiscent of a skull and crossbones. The "death's head" hawkmoth "hawks" at night - "robs bees."
The chest is bluish-brown with an ocher-yellow pattern, reminiscent of a human skull, under which lie two bones folded crosswise (hence the name “death's head”). The forewings are brown-black, in places black and ocher-yellow, and divided into three fields by two yellow transverse wavy stripes. The hind wings are ocher-yellow with two black transverse stripes, the outer one of which is wider and jagged on the outer edge. The abdomen is yellow with black rings; along it there is a wide bluish-gray stripe
The butterfly is interesting because it can produce a high-pitched squeak.
Heinrich Prell discovered that the sound is produced by the vibration of the outgrowth of the upper lip of the epipharynx, when the butterfly sucks air into the throat and then pushes it back. The caterpillar can also make sound, but by rubbing its jaws. The meaning of these sounds is not completely clear. They probably serve to intimidate enemies.
Unlike other feeding hawkmoths, the proboscis of the dead head is short and is not used for feeding on flowers, but for sucking out the flowing sap of trees and damaged fruits.
The sounds produced by this butterfly and the gloomy pattern on its chest made it an object of horror for superstitious and ignorant people. Thus, people attributed the epidemic that raged in 1733 to the appearance of this butterfly.
In Ile-de-France they believe that scales from the wings of this butterfly, if they get into the eye, cause blindness, etc. Many superstitious people believe that encountering a “death’s head” hawk moth was considered a bad omen.
Sometimes a death's head flies into the hives and sucks out the honey, for which it has a special addiction. The butterfly sucks out 5-10 grams of honey at a time. Thick hairs protect it from the sting of bees, but sometimes the bees still manage to kill it and sometimes beekeepers find the corpses of “thieves” in the hives.
But it cannot be called an enemy of beekeeping because of its low numbers, and by placing a small net at the entrance to the hive, you can protect it from the butterfly.
Found in southern and partly central Europe, the Azores, Southern and Central Europe, all of Africa, Madagascar, the Middle East, Syria, Turkey, Northern Iran. In Central Europe, butterflies fly from May to June.
In Crimea the species is very rare.
Like the bindweed hawkmoth, the death's head migrates north every year. Vagrant specimens were found near Leningrad and even on the Kola Peninsula. In the event of frost, even if not very severe, the wintering pupae die, and therefore European populations need constant replenishment of butterflies from North Africa, the original homeland of the species. And the replenishment does not keep itself waiting, fortunately, hawk moths, and especially dead heads, can fly.
The species produces two generations.
The caterpillar reaches 15 cm in length and has an S-shaped curved horn. As with the previous species, there are forms with different colors: yellow-blue, green and brown. The caterpillars are active at night, colored yellow or brownish (such caterpillars are strikingly different from each other), with slanting green
Hawk moths are a family of lepidopteran insects belonging to arthropods. Representatives are large and medium-sized butterflies. They are combined into 3 groups. The death's head hawkmoth belongs to the subfamily Sphinxaceae. The butterfly is ranked as the second largest in Europe. In terms of body size, she ranks first.
Dead's, or Adam's, head is a bright and large representative of the hawk moth family. When open, the width of the insect reaches 13 cm. The maximum mass of the butterfly is 9–10 g. The average length of the front wings is 5 cm.
Imago (adult)
As an adult, the insect is remembered for its characteristic coloring and large size. External signs:
- The body is thick, shaggy, and resembles a spindle. Length – up to 6 cm, girth – up to 2 cm;
- The front part of the body is brown, brown or black, sometimes with a tint of blue;
- The back has a striped pattern, consisting of brown, silver, and yellow shades;
- The part after the head - the coloring appears in the form of a human skull with empty eye sockets, sometimes there is no pattern;
- The front wings are elongated, the length exceeds the width by 2 times. The coloring is varied, they are usually dark with wavy stripes;
- The hind wings are short, oblique, with a slight depression. The color is bright yellow with smooth black stripes forming a pattern.
- The head is black. The eyes are large, the antennae and proboscis are shortened.
- The paws are short, massive, with 4 rows of spines and spurs on the shins.
Sexual dimorphism is expressed in size, abdominal shape, wingspan, and color. Males are smaller than females. The body is pointed, and in females it is rounded. The wing opening in males is up to 115 cm, in females - up to 130 cm. In males, the last two rings of the abdomen are painted black or silver-blue.
A specific feature is a deafening squeak in case of danger. This is a rare occurrence for lepidopteran insects. The origin of sound was discovered only in the last century. The squeak occurs due to the vibration of the outgrowth on the upper lip.
Caterpillar
The death's head caterpillar is easy to distinguish from other larvae by its striking external features:
- size – large, in adulthood up to 15 cm long;
- color – bright, lemon, greenish or brown;
- pattern - blue stripes diagonally on each segment;
- The horn on the back of the body is yellow, rough, twice curved in the shape of the letter S.
Additional appearance features: numerous black dots from the 4th segment, large round spots on the sides. If the caterpillar is green, the stripes on the segments will be a darker shade.
Death's Head Habitat
The distribution area is constantly changing. North Africa is recognized as the butterfly's place of origin. The main habitats are areas with a warm climate. The insect is found in Africa, in the southern regions of Europe, Turkmenistan, Transcaucasia and the Crimean Peninsula.
The death's head butterfly is found in Abkhazia, Georgia, and the European part of Russia. Sometimes the insect reaches Iceland, the northern and eastern regions of Kazakhstan, and the Middle Urals.
The habitat is varied, but the main places are plantations, fields, valleys, and woodlands. Favorite climate is tropics and subtropics. In Europe, insects settle near potato fields, and in Transcaucasia - in foothill areas.
The death's head hawk moth is a migratory insect. Every year they fly from Africa to the northern countries, where they form colonies. The duration of migration and the territory occupied depend on the weather. Under favorable conditions, insects reach a speed of 50 km/h. The flight usually begins in May or June.
Lifestyle of a death's head butterfly
Massive, strong paws determined the way of life of the hawk moth. During the daytime, insects rest, located on the litter or trees. Towards night they fly out to search for food.
Before midnight, butterflies are attracted to artificial lighting. The main part of the arriving insects are male and female individuals, ready to mate. Therefore, mating dances are often observed around lamps and lampposts.
The caterpillars' lifestyle also stands out. Larvae rarely appear on the surface. The main part of the stage takes place underground at a depth of 30–40 cm. Sometimes the caterpillar does not emerge at all, but only withdraws part of its body to feed on nearby greenery. The stage lasts 2 months.
Death's Head Feeding
Larvae and adults are polyphagous insects. The shortened proboscis has led to the fact that butterflies cannot feed on flower nectar. Therefore, they eat the juices of trees or fruits whose integrity is compromised. Nutrition is an important part of a butterfly’s life, as it affects the maturation of eggs in females.
Caterpillars prefer the tops of nightshade plants: potatoes, tomatoes, wolfberry, datura, and eggplant. Due to their polyphagous lifestyle, the larvae eat the foliage of other plants - cabbage, carrots, elderberries, lilacs, apple trees, and plums. Caterpillars will not refuse tree bark or herbaceous vegetation.
Hawkmoth death's head and bees
Butterflies love sweet nectar, so they often fly to apiaries and make their way into bee houses. The moth pierces the honeycomb cells with its short proboscis and sucks out honey 5–10 grams at a time. How do butterflies go unnoticed? To explain this phenomenon, 3 different theories have been proposed:
- Bees mistake hawkmoths for the queen, since the body is painted with the same colors. Therefore, there are no obstacles for moths to enter the hives.
- Death's-head butterflies skillfully camouflage themselves by secreting substances that hide their own smell. Fatty acids are secreted in the same quantities and proportions as in bees.
- The sounds of the hawk moth resemble the squeak of a queen bee when leaving the cocoon. This theory has not been confirmed by scientists, but many beekeepers still adhere to it.
The main advantage of butterflies is their resistance to. This is achieved due to the thickness of the hair, which prevents the sting from penetrating. Single bee attacks are not scary for the hawk moth, but numerous bites kill the butterflies.
Moths visit the hives one by one, so they do not destroy them. But beekeepers still do not like these lepidopteran insects and consider them pests. To protect the apiary, they install nets on the entrances, the openings of which are small for large butterflies, but optimal for worker bees and drones.
Reproduction and lifespan of the death's head butterfly
Butterflies live and reproduce in their native spaces throughout the year. Usually there are 2 generations, but with prolonged warm weather the number increases to three. Mating occurs at night.
The laid egg is round, small (up to 1 mm in diameter), white with a greenish or bluish tint. Females lay up to 150 eggs at a time. They do this on food plants. A light, whitish larva with transparent legs emerges from the egg. Caterpillar development phases:
- The first instar is light green in color, without a pattern, sizes up to 12 mm.
- Second instar – a brown horn is formed, which appears large relative to the body.
- Molting – the larva increases in size and acquires new characteristics.
- Third instar – stripes and black dots appear on the segments, the horn becomes light and rough.
- Fourth instar – size reaches 5 cm and weight – 4 g.
- Fifth instar – length increases to 15 cm, and weight – up to 20 g. The larva begins to move less.
The caterpillar lives for 2 months, then pupates. This happens at a depth of 15–40 cm underground. Hawkmoth pupae are smooth, orange-red in color, becoming brownish over time. They do not tolerate cold well, so they die en masse in frosts. The average length of the pupae is 5–6 cm, and their weight is 8–10 grams.
After one month has passed, an adult emerges from the pupa. Life expectancy is up to 30 days. It depends on the amount of nutrients accumulated by the caterpillar.
The death's head butterfly is surrounded by various myths, which are associated with its peculiar coloring. For example, it was believed that the appearance of a hawk moth nearby would mark the death of a loved one. These superstitions led to massive destruction of insects. In many countries they are listed in the Red Book.