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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 African death's-head hawkmoth (Acherontia atropos) is the largest moth in the British Isles (though not in Africa), with a wingspan of 13 cm (5 in); it is a powerful flier, having sometimes been found on ships far from land. The forewings are a mottled dark brown and pale brown, and the hind wings are orangey-buff with two narrow dark bands parallel with the hind margin. The abdomen is a similar orangey-brown, with a broad, dark dorsal stripe. The most notable feature is a patch of short yellowish hairs on the thorax that gives the impression of depicting a human skull. It is a striking insect, but is seldom seen because it flies late in the night.
A 2020 study describes how, when viewed upside-down, Acherontia atropos creates an illusion of a head with eyes: the mark on its thorax likened to a human skull is the "nose", with the skull's eye-sockets resembling nostrils. Spots on its forewings can be seen as eyes, and various other markings and features can be interpreted as ears, muzzle and lips. This illusion is also present in Agrius convolvuli (convolvulus hawk-moth) and five other species, with the study author suggesting that the function of the illusion of an eyed head is "almost certainly to deter, distract or otherwise deceive predators".
The caterpillar of the African death's-head hawkmoth is also sturdy and somewhat variable in colour, being some shade of buff, green or brown, with seven diagonal blue lines. At the rear is a curved, thorn-like horn. It can attain a length of 5 to 6 in (13 to 15 cm). The other two species of death's-head hawkmoth similarly have three larval color forms: typically, green, brown and yellow. The pupa is stout and reddish-brown, and is formed 8 to 10 in (20 to 25 cm) under the ground in a chamber the size of a large hen's egg.
These moths have several unusual features. All three species have the ability to emit a loud chirp if irritated. The sound is produced by inhaling and expelling air, which vibrates the epipharynx like an accordion, often accompanied by flashing of the brightly colored abdomen in a further attempt to deter predators. The chirp of the death's head hawkmoth takes approximately one-fifth of a second. A study by National Geographic found that the epipharynx was originally built to suck up honey, but later evolved to produce sound.
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 contain calystegines, a group of polyhydroxy alkaloids, which are toxic. The larva of A. atropos feeding on potato foliage accumulates these alkaloids.
Saw a tiktok about the different types of tiefling you can be in DND and here are my ideas
Lunar Moth tiefling, as a Cleric
Death face moth tiefling as a Necromancer
Maned Hyena tiefling, Barbarian
Ink cap Mushroom tiefling Rouge or monk for this one I see the cap as one of those straw hats and they'd have a bo staff
I'll have to draw these at some point I'll update you if I ever flesh out these characters
Incorrect Ttte Quotes 292:
*Pluto is seen running towards Toby and Percy as he excitedly shows something to them*
Pluto: Dad! Percperc! Look what I got!
*Pluto then shows a male Deathmoth that he got*
Pluto: It's a little moth that I found while I was in the Backrooms!
Percy: Wow, that's actually pretty cool. No wonder why everybody thought you were missing.
Toby: Y-You w-were in t-the what?....
Pluto: The Backrooms. Why?
Percy: Dad, the Backrooms are impossibly large extra-dimensional empty rooms. They can be accessed by exiting reality.
*The sound of glass shattering can be heard as Toby has a panic attack*
Toby: YOU MANAGED TO EXIT REALITY!?!?!? PLUTO I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD!!!!!!!
Pluto: Woah dad, calm down!
Toby: CALM DOWN?!?!? CALM DOWN?!?!!?!?!? I CRIED MYSELF TO SLEEP FOR 4 WEEKS AND YOU'RE TELLING ME TO CALM DOWN!?!?? PLUTO WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!??!
Pluto: I don't know.