ACHERONTIA] SPHINGIDAE 299 



5. ACHERONTIA, 0. 



Tongue short. Antennae less than , gradually thickened 

 to near apex, then pointed, apex slender, hooked. Abdomen 

 broad, obtuse, densely haired. Tibiae with dense appressed 

 hairs. 



An Asiatic genus of few species, one of which ranges into 

 Europe and Africa. The imago possesses the power of uttering 

 a curious squeaking sound, and is said sometimes to invade 

 bee-hives in pursuit of honey. 



1. A. atropos, L. 102-132 mm. Thorax blackish, with a 

 light ochreous blotch resembling a skull and crossbones. Fore- 

 wings blackish, whitish -sprinkled, with waved black striae ; 

 margins of median band suffused with whitish -ochreous on 

 costal half, posterior followed by a ferruginous suffusion; 

 median and submedian ferruginous longitudinal streaks; a 

 whitish discal dot; veins terminally ferruginous. Hindwings 

 light ochreous -orange ; veins posteriorly more or less black ; a 

 narrow postmedian and broader subterminal fascia black. 



Britain to the Shetlands, Ireland, not common ; Europe, C. 

 Asia, Japan, N. Africa; 7, 9, 10. Larva green, purplish- 

 speckled, or brownish, white-speckled ; 2-4 sometimes whitish ; 

 on 5-1 1 a series of purple or dark brown oblique lateral stripes ; 

 spiracles black ; horn curved downwards and then upwards, 

 speckled with yellow-whitish : on potato and other Solanaceae ; 

 7,8. 



6. SMERINTHUS, Latr. 



Tongue short, imperfect. Antennae less than |, stout, 

 thickest towards middle, in $ deeply incised so as to form 

 thick lamellae. Abdomen more or less stout, with appressed 

 hairs or scales, in $ pointed. Tibiae with appressed scales, 

 posterior pair without middle-spurs. Hindwings with frenulum 

 sometimes rudimentary. 



A small but nearly cosmopolitan genus. 



Hindwings with large bluish eye-spot , 2. ocellatus. 



without such spot . . 1. populi. 



1. S. populi, L, 68-88 mm. Forewings brown, irrorated and 

 partly suffused with ashy - whitish ; veins pale ochreous; about 

 six darker striae, posteriorly waved ; lower part of median band, 

 and upper part of termen suffusedly darker; a white discal 

 spot; termen waved. Hindwings as forewings, but a large dull 

 red dorsal blotch from base to near tornus ; no discal spot. 



Britain to Ross, Ireland, common ; Europe, N. and WC. 



