Categories
Hummingbird Moths, Sphinx Moths or Hawk MothsTags
Edible Insects: Tasty Morselsmoth
October 7, 2009
please can you tell me what this moth is that we came across whilst we were on holiday in the southwest of france in september 2009? are they poisones and should i have handled it
pauline
south west france
Death's Head Hawkmoth
Hi pauline,
Congratulations on your sighting of a Death’s Head Hawkmoth, Acherontia atropos, the moth that was featured in the book and movie Silence of the Lambs. It is found in the Middle East and Mediterranean regions. Though we have received several images of caterpillars in the past, we believe this is the first image we have received of an adult moth or imago. Wikipedia has an extensive page on this fascinating species. It is not poisonous.
Comment
The Caterpillar of this species [which I believe has a wide geographic range] is consumed. In Papua New Guinea.
Dave Gracer
Related Posts
- Death’s Head Hawkmoth Caterpillar from South Africa (January 13, 2009)
- Death’s Head Hawkmoth Caterpillar (April 13, 2009)
- Death’s Head Hawkmoth Caterpillar (October 18, 2009)
- Death’s Head Hawkmoth Caterpillar from Cyprus (January 10, 2010)
- Death’s Head Hawkmoth from South Africa (January 13, 2010)
Comments 2
The Caterpillar of this species [which I believe has a wide geographic range] is consumed. In Papua New Guinea.
Posted 08 Oct 2009 at 9:01 pm ¶Thanks Dave,
Posted 09 Oct 2009 at 10:21 am ¶Nice to hear from you again.
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