Acherontia atropos (Linnaeus, 1758) sec CATE Sphingidae, 2009 urn:lsid:cate-sphingidae.org:taxon:d7dc57ba-6bf4-1014-884b-8757473e38d3
Thorax upperside with skull-like mark rarely absent.
Antennae short and stout, shorter than in other species, especially in the female; middle segments in the female at least 4x as broad as long.
Abdomen underside with black segmental bands complete, never reduced to mesial spots. In some individuals the abdomen is nearly all black; in others (especially bred ones) the underside of the body may be fuscous, in which case neither the yellow nor black bands are well defined.
Foretibia a little shorter than in other species; foretarsus with numerous spines on the outer side of 1st segment, and more than one row on the outer side of 2nd and 3rd segments.
Middle tibia clearly shorter than 1st tarsal segment, unlike the other species.
Hind tibia as long as 1st and 2nd tarsal segments together.
Forewing upperside variable in appearance ranging from nearly all black, with the lines obscure and the white or ochraceous scaling in the subapical region obscured, to individuals with the ochraceous subapical patch unusually large.
Underside of wings also variable, with the discal band of both wings frequently vestigial or absent.
Hindwing upperside differs from Acherontia lachesis in having the basal half entirely yellow, as in Acherontia styx, lacking a large black mark; discal dark band sometimes vestigial or absent, sometimes nearly fused with the distal band, which itself may be obsolescent, but is more frequently so enlarged distad as to reduce the marginal spots to mere dots.
Hindwing underside with discal spot sometimes absent.
Male
Female
Male Genitalia
Harpe with ventral process dentate, carinate on the dorsal surface; the upper process a triangular tooth; the broad sides of both processes vertical.
Female Genitalia
Ostium bursae without special armature.
Other Topics
Typification
Four specimens are curated as Sphinx atropos in the collection of the Linnean Society of London (determined by examination of a bound set of monochrome photographs in the Library of the BMNH). These specimens were then in drawer 112 but have now been recurated into plastazote-bottom boxes. One moth, a male, bears a label attached by Sir James Edward Smith and perhaps also a Linnaean label, and is most probably a syntype. The second specimen, a female, is set in the modern style and was certainly acquired by Linnaeus subsequent to publication of the original description. The remaining two moths, both apparently without labels, are specimens of Acherontia styx. It is unclear whether these specimens are syntypes.
Nomenclature
This name can also be used in a varietal sense for the form in which the forewings are uniform blackish-brown, with indistinct transverse markings and obsolete pale markings.
