Deaths Head Hawk moth larvae

Description:

bright green caterpillar about 60mm in length. This caterpillar displays typical hawk (Sphinx) moth features of the family Sphingidae, such as the green colour, the lateral diagonal stripes,the smooth skin, the horn at the rear and an 'eye' mark towards the head end although this latter feature is not very pronounced here.

Habitat:

The caterpillar was spotted in an area of smallholdings on the outskirts of the city. The natural vegetation of the area is an open, mixed, drought deciduous bush with trees up to 10m on sandy soils. The region experiences a hot, arid climate with summer rainfall, averageing 500mm a year.

Notes:

This caterpillar was a single individual observed on a neighbour's fence. It was crawling through the leaves of a small cucurbit which was scambling along the fence. The green of the caterpillar and that of the cucurbit leaves were a remarkably similar shade, there again cryptic colouration is another characteristic of hawk moth larvae. There are more than 100 species of hawk moth in southern Africa but to hazard a guess this may be Acherontia atropos - the Death's Head Hawk Moth.