Acherontia styx

Acherontia styx
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Sphingidae
Genus: Acherontia
Species:
A. styx
Binomial name
Acherontia styx
Westwood, 1847
Synonyms
  • Acherontia ariel Boisduval, 1875
  • Acherontia pseudatropos Röber, 1933
  • Acherontia styx interrupta Closs, 1911
  • Acherontia styx obsoleta Schmidt, 1914
  • Acherontia styx crathis Rothschild & Jordan, 1903
  • Acherontia styx septentrionalis-chinensis Pavlov, 1932

Acherontia styx, the lesser death's head hawkmoth or bee robber, is a sphingid moth found in Asia, one of the three species of death's-head hawkmoth. It is very fond of honey, and bee keepers have reported finding dead moths in their hives as a result of bee stings. They can mimic the scent of bees so that they can enter a hive unharmed to get honey. Their tongue, which is stout and very strong, enables them to pierce the wax cells of the beehive and suck the honey out. They are also known to be a pest of yuzu (Citrus junos) in South Korea, using their tongue to pierce and damage the fruit.

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