ACHERONTIA ATROPOS (Linnaeus, 1758) -- Western death's head hawkmoth

Adult female Acherontia atropos. Photo: © NHMUK

TAXONOMY

Sphinx atropos Linnaeus, 1758, Syst. Nat. (Edn 10) 1: 490. Type locality: Europe; "Aegypti" [Africa]; "Indiae" [India].


LOCAL DISTRIBUTION

China: Reported once from Hainan, but not a resident of eastern Asia.


GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION

Resident in Africa, the Mediterranean region and Middle East (to Iran, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan). Records from elsewhere are the result of confusion with Acherontia styx or accidental imports.


Global distribution of Acherontia atropos. Map: © NHMUK.
Return to Sphingidae of the Eastern Palaearctic species list
© A. R. Pittaway & I. J. Kitching (Natural History Museum, London)