Listen to the Death’s-head hawkmoth
Tip: press play to see the sound's live frequency spectrum in blue over the waveform.
About the Death’s-head hawkmoth
The Death’s-head hawkmoth is a insect in the family Sphingidae (order Lepidoptera).
What does the Death’s-head hawkmoth sound like?
Insects make sound mechanically: crickets and grasshoppers rub a scraper against a file (stridulation), cicadas buckle ribbed membranes called tymbals, and bees and mosquitoes hum with their wingbeats.
From Wikipedia
Acherontia styx, the lesser death's head hawkmoth or bee robber, is a sphingid moth found in Asia, one of the three species of death's-head hawkmoth. It is very fond of honey, and beekeepers have reported finding dead moths in their hives as a result of bee stings. They can mimic the scent of bees so that they can enter a hive unharmed to get honey. Their tongue, which is stout and very strong, enables them to pierce the wax cells of the beehive and suck the honey out. They are also known to be a pest of yuzu (Citrus junos) in South Korea, using their tongue to pierce and damage the fruit.
Related insects in the genus Acherontia
Frequently asked questions
What does a Death’s-head hawkmoth sound like?
You can hear 1 recording of the Death’s-head hawkmoth on this page. Insects make sound mechanically: crickets and grasshoppers rub a scraper against a file (stridulation), cicadas buckle ribbed membranes called tymbals, and bees and mosquitoes hum with their wingbeats.
What family does the Death’s-head hawkmoth belong to?
The Death’s-head hawkmoth (Acherontia styx) belongs to the family Sphingidae in the order Lepidoptera.
Sources & credits
- BioAcoustica 593 9 Acherontis styx 822r9 – CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Wikidata Q134738 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Acherontia styx – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo by Surajit Koley – Public domain