Sphinx death\'s-head

The sphinx death's-head ( Acherontia atropos ) is a night butterfly of the family of the Sphingidés.

Like all sphingidés, it is a butterfly with the spindle-shaped massive body, the feathery antennas and the wings folded up flat in " toit" on the abdomen according to a characteristic angle. The Chenille S have a horn (scolus) at the end of the abdomen, on the eighth segment. The caterpillars raise the former part of their body, imitating the position of the " vaguely; Sphinx" Egyptian or Greek, from where its name. The caterpillars have tiny and practically invisible silks.

The adult presents a mark characteristic recalling the shape of a death's-head on the dorsal part of the thoraxes densément covered of hairs whereas the segments of its abdomen, quite as hairy, are black and yellow with the manner of a large Frelon. This mark in form of Death's-head sometimes gave him the reputation to bring misfortune and a symbolic system part in films like the Silence of the lambs or was worth to him to play a Andalusian dog .

It is the European lépidoptère heaviest (1,5 G for a female of 60 mm scale) and largest which one can meet in Europe after the Grand Peacock of night. Its body measures approximately 6 cm for an average scale of 13 cm. Its caterpillar is also very large, reaching 15 cm length, and consuming solanaceous various July at October, mainly the foliage of the Potato, where large droppings sign its presence). It is buried, like many of those of the family of the sphinges, for transforming itself into chrysalis in the ground. The chrysalis is brown dark drawing on the red, with an enamelled aspect.

Surface of distribution

This species lives and winters in the south of the Mediterranean basin and in Africa and in part of Asia. It migrates at the beginning of the summer in Europe and can go up until the south of the Scandinavia, but this butterfly became very rare in the residential areas or of intensive agriculture
the adults emergent in September - October before taking their take-off to migrate towards the South. It is present and in regression on the island of the Meeting.

Reproduction

After their arrival in June - July, the migrating adults deposit their eggs with the back of the sheets on about fifty plant species but particularly affectionnent the foliage of the potato which their caterpillars while developing devour savagely. After twenty days of growth during which it moults four times the caterpillar buries, transforms themselves into chrysalis in an underground room and arises in the shape of adult at the end of one period varying between twenty days and two months.

Behavior

This large butterfly is extremely fond of delicacies of honey. It detects the hives and penetrates inside by the hole of take-off. Protected well by its peeling and its scales, insensitive with venom, it is able, while making hum its wings, to get rid of the bees which defend their hive. Having reached the honeycombs it bores without difficulty the Opercule S of the full cells using its short and solid horn. Sometimes however, gorged with honey, it sometimes happens to him to be unable to arise from the hive and to finish choked by a compact bunch of bees. The corpse is then covered with Propolis to avoid the Décomposition.

The damage inflicted with the hives is rather anecdotic in Europe because the sphinges became very rare, victims of the Insecticide S and the luminous Pollution induced by the public lighting which puts out of order their guidance system and seems to be able to disturb their reproduction for reasons still badly included/understood (impact on the hormonal system probably). It is not the same on the unintermitting African where it represents a real embarrassment for the Apiculture.

It is the only butterfly in the world with being able, when it is disturbed, to produce a sound (squealing with 280 hertz), thanks to a small blade located at the entry of the pharynx of the adult and caterpillar which vibrates when the seized animal expels air violently.

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