Eye Candy Part 2

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Cincinnati's Old Public Library​

 

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Shattuckite and Malachite http://www.wellarrangedmolecules.com/main/index.php?page=mineral_detail&detail_id=798​

 

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Death’s-head Hawkmoth

The Death’s-head Hawkmoth, Acherontia atropos (Sphingidae), is a quite distinctive moth, both in their larval stages, and as adult.

The caterpillar (top) starts being pale green becoming vivid yellow. However, the adult moth (bottom) is very different and is readily identified by its large size, the skull-like marking on the thorax, its yellow-striped abdomen, and the cloak-like wings, producing an ominous image.

Acherontia atropos is an Afrotropical species, but the moth is a great wanderer and has been found throughout Europe, as far north as Iceland and Scandinavia.

The Death’s-head Hawkmoth parasitizes colonies of the honeybee (Apis mellifera) by entering the hive and feeding on nectar and honey. In spite of a highly efficient honeybee colony defense system, A. atropos is only rarely attacked by the bees. The thick cuticle of the moth may protect it from bee stings. Furthermore, the moth seems to be only weakly affected by bee venom, even more, workers inside the nest ignore the presence of the moth and do not behave aggressive toward the intruder. It has been proved that these moths use chemical signals to camouflage in the honeybee colony.

References: [1] - [2] - [3]

Photo credit: [Top: ©Francesco Cassulo | Locality: unknown (Italy)] - [Bottom: ©Nikolay Ivshin | Locality: from laboratory culture of one of European moth breeders]

 

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Chinese Lettuce Coral​

 

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