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Info from Wikipedia:
"The name death's-head hawkmoth refers to any of three moth species of the genus Acherontia (Acherontia atropos, Acherontia styx and Acherontia lachesis). The former species is found throughout Africa and in Europe, the latter two are Asian; most uses of the common name refer to the African species. These moths are easily distinguishable by the vaguely human skull-shaped pattern of markings on the thorax. They are large nocturnal moths with brown and yellow or orange coloring, and all three species are fairly similar in size, coloration and life cycle.
The species names atropos, lachesis and styx are all from Greek myth and related to death. The first refers to the member of the three Moirai who cuts the threads of life of all beings; the second to the Moira who allots the correct amount of life to a being; and the last refers to the river of the dead. In addition the genus name Acherontia is derived from Acheron, a river of Greek myth that was said to be a branch of the river Styx. Because of this nomenclature and its unique characteristics, the 'death's head moth' has been an object of superstition, and used as a subject in popular culture, including the iconic image for the film 'Silence of the Lambs'.
All three species are distinguished by emitting rapid squeaks when disturbed. The African death's-head hawkmoth (Acherontia atropos) has a wingspan of 13 cm (5 in) and is a powerful flier, having sometimes been found on ships far from land. The caterpillar can attain a length of 13 to 15 cm (5 to 6 in) and its pupa 20 to 25 cm (8 to 10 in ) forms under the ground in a chamber the size of a large hen's egg.
Adults of all three species are commonly observed raiding beehives of different species of honey bee; A. atropos only invades colonies of the well-known western honey bee, Apis mellifera, and feeds on both nectar and honey. They can move about in hives without being disturbed because they mimic the scent of the bees and are not recognised as intruders. If their disguise is discovered, the moth's thick waxy cuticle helps to protect it against stings. Leaves of the potato plant (its primary host ) contain calystegines, a group of polyhydroxy alkaloids, which are toxic. The larva of A. atropos feeding on potato foliage accumulates these alkaloids."
You can hear this marvelous moth squeak in this video. https://youtu.be/2GNlo_7Kl2U?si=Uzh77YR93s88UIKv