HAWK MOTH

also called Sphinx Moth, or Hummingbird Moth (family Sphingidae), any member of cosmopolitan insects (order Lepidoptera), named for their hovering, swift flight patterns. These stout-bodied moths have long, narrow forewings and shorter hindwings, with wingspans ranging from 5 to 20 cm (2 to 8 inches). Many species pollinate flowers such as orchids and petunias while sucking nectar; the proboscis (feeding organ) of some species measures up to 32.5 cm. Some hawk moths migrate. Death's head moth (Acherontia atropos) The common name for Acherontia atropos, death's head moth (see photograph), derives from the fancied facsimile of a human skull on the upper surface of the body. Common in Europe and Africa, these moths have a short proboscis and often feed on honey from beehives. They produce loud chirping or squeaking sounds by forcing air out through the tongue. In the larval stage the sounds are distinct, cracking noises. The leaf-feeding larva generally has a smooth body with a characteristic dorsal caudal horn: hence the common name hornworm. Two economically destructive North American speciesthe tobacco, or southern, hornworm (Protoparce sexta) and the tomato, or northern, hornworm (P. quinquemaculata)attack tomato, tobacco, and potato crops. These leaf-feeding pests are green and can be 10 cm long. Control includes the use of a natural enemy, the braconid wasp (Apanteles congregatus), which parasitizes the larvae. Pupation occurs in an earthen cell or loose cocoon at surface level.