Deaths head sphinx in North America?

[Roger C. KENDRICK]

Hi All,
 
If monarchs can reach the UK from the eastern US following a storm or hurricane over a two week period (and they do almost every year), then I have no problem with the equally tough Acherontia atropos following (being caught up in) a storm system taking and taking a little over two weeks to get from Africa to USA. However, I do not have any concrete proof, nor any theories as to how they manage to obtain nutrients (primarily water + stored fat reserves?) for the journey.
 
cheers,
 
Roger.

Paul Breslin <pbreslin at bellsouth.net> wrote:
Hello --

I don't usually chime in but another correspondent said the moth could have been blown here from Africa.

I am a ship's Captain and have more than thirty years of experience. I have seen lepidopteron far at sea. Once, more than a hundred miles of the coast of Central America I saw a large moth flying about the wheelhouse late one night. I quickly made a catch-net from a coat hanger, mop handle and some
muslin - but, I couldn't catch it. Had I caught the moth, you would have heard of it.

The winds in Isabel were very strong most of the way across from Africa.
The storm left Africa around Sept 1st and was in North Carolina Sept 18th.
That's quite a while for any animal to live in those conditions.
http://hurricane.accuweather.com/adcbin/hurricane/storms.asp?ocean=atlantic&storm=Isabel
You have to ask yourself if an animal as delicate as a moth could have survived?

On the other hand, there have been reports of aircraft with catch nets at high altitudes catching spiders.

Paul Breslin
============

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "John Snyder" 
To: 
Sent: Monday, September 22, 2003 18:56
Subject: Deaths head sphinx in North America?


> Folks, a correspondent in North Carolina tells me of seeing two acherontia atropos, the deaths head moth, in that state. Claims they made the characteristic "powerful squeeking noise" when prodded to fly.
>
> Question: has this species been seen in North America? If not, any explanation for two being seen in a neighborhood?
>
> John Snyder
> Dept. of Biology
> Furman University
> Greenville, SC USA


Roger C. KENDRICK  Ph.D.
Senior Conservation Officer, Fauna Conservation, 
Kadoorie Farm & Botanic Garden, Hong Kong
http://www.kfbg.org/
http://asia.geocities.com/hkmoths/
moths at kfbg.org, hkmoths at yahoo.co.uk


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