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Luminary Oddities · Natural history & art
Acherontia lachesis
Lepidoptera / Sphingidae
Acherontia lachesis is a large Asian hawk moth with a skull-like thoracic marking and strongly banded hindwings. Field and rearing studies describe its larval colour variation, underground pupation and rasping defensive sound.
Read the species account
Acherontia lachesis belongs to Sphingidae, the hawk-moth family. Fabricius described it in 1798 as Sphinx lachesis. [1]
The thorax bears the skull-like marking characteristic of death’s-head hawk moths. In A. lachesis, a dark patch at the base of the hindwing accompanies strong transverse bands; the combination helps distinguish it from A. styx and A. atropos. [1][2]
Reared larvae include green and yellow colour forms. Lane and Moulds documented the appearance of all five larval instars in material from Dauan Island. [3]
In the Singapore record, a final-instar larva collected on 20 August 2008 had pupated by 2 September; the adult emerged on 26 September. The larval skin and pupal case were deposited in the Zoological Reference Collection as ZRC.LEP.335. [2]
On Dauan Island, rearing documented five larval instars. A prepupal larva burrowed into soil and formed a chamber in which to pupate. [3]
Lane and Moulds reared their Dauan Island larvae on Clerodendrum inerme. This record identifies the plant eaten by that breeding population. [3]
Kitching described the defensive sound of Thai A. lachesis adults as rasping or hissing. His comparison distinguished it from the clearer squeak of A. atropos and the hoarser sound of A. styx. [4]
The name Acherontia alludes to Acheron, a river of the classical underworld. Lachesis is the Fate associated with measuring the thread of life. [4]
The original name Sphinx lachesis dates to Fabricius’s 1798 description; the species is now placed in Acherontia. [1]
The illustration emphasizes the contrast between the patterned forewings, banded hindwings and pale thoracic marking.
Keep the enclosure closed and display it in indirect light, away from heat and damp conditions. Handle the frame by its edges and clean only its exterior according to the maker’s instructions.
How is this death’s-head hawk moth recognized? The skull-like thoracic mark, dark basal hindwing patch and strong hindwing bands provide a useful combination of adult characters. [1][2]
Where does it pupate? A prepupal larva observed in the Dauan study burrowed into soil and made a pupation chamber. [3]
The specialist taxonomic account covers nomenclature and adult comparison. The Singapore and Dauan studies document identified immature stages, rearing and emergence; Kitching’s study compares the defensive sounds of death’s-head hawk moths. [1][2][3][4]
Sphingidae Taxonomic Inventory; Natural History Museum specialists · Accessed 2026-10-09
Tzi Ming Leong and Vilma D’Rozario; Nature in Singapore 4, 2011 · Accessed 2026-10-09
David A. Lane and Maxwell S. Moulds; Atalanta 51, 2020 · Accessed 2026-10-09
Ian J. Kitching; Systematic Entomology 28, 2003 · Accessed 2026-10-09
Sources checked 2026-10-09. Illustrations · Luminary Oddities.
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