Study explains the unique sound production by Death's head hawkmoths
Their arrival used to be perceived as a bad omen: Because of their scull-like markings on their backs the Death's head hawkmoths (Acherontia atropos) were dreaded. And yet, the big moth with the dark forewings and the beige-yellow marking is unusual for more than one reason: The animals migrate annually from Africa to Europe and visit beehives from which they steal honey with their short proboscides. If the moths are irritated, they produce series of short squeaks. Scientists from the Universities Jena and Kiel, the Ernst-Abbe-Hochschule Jena and the University Hospital Jena (all Germany) looked into their unique way of producing sounds. The results of the joint research have now been published in the science magazine The Science of Nature.