An Egyptian Moth RIP

Charles Nicol · Post by **Charles Nicol** » Tue Dec 14, 2010 12:31 pm

This moth had recently expired when it was photographed this week in Cairo...

can you say what sort of moth it is ?

thanks in advance

Charles

Post by **Padfield** » Tue Dec 14, 2010 12:52 pm

It is the Bringer of Death, Himself.

Ironically.

Guy

Roger Gibbons · Post by **Roger Gibbons** » Tue Dec 14, 2010 2:12 pm

I trust you celebrated this find with a nice Chianti.

Roger

Post by **Padfield** » Tue Dec 14, 2010 2:50 pm

... and some fava beans...

Guy

Piers · Post by **Piers** » Tue Dec 14, 2010 7:22 pm

padfield wrote:It is the Bringer of Death, Himself

But which one is it; styx, medusa, lachesis, atropos..?

Felix.

Post by **Padfield** » Tue Dec 14, 2010 7:31 pm

I think only atropos flies in Egypt, but someone else might be able to confirm.

Guy

Post by **Padfield** » Tue Dec 14, 2010 7:39 pm

No - styx styx is also just found in Egypt. See:

http://tpittaway.tripod.com/china/a_sty.htm (styx styx)

http://tpittaway.tripod.com/china/a_med.htm (styx medusa)

http://tpittaway.tripod.com/china/a_lac.htm (lachesis)

and

http://tpittaway.tripod.com/china/a_atr.htm (atropos)

(scroll down on each page for distributions)

Guy

Charles Nicol · Post by **Charles Nicol** » Wed Dec 15, 2010 2:14 pm

Thanks again my learned friends !!

The picture was taken at Zamalek in the grounds of a Cathedral... spooky or what

???

Charles

sorry i did not answer last night... i was having a friend for dinner

Lee Hurrell · Post by **Lee Hurrell** » Wed Dec 15, 2010 2:17 pm

I had no idea there was more than one...

Ironic indeed

Cheers

Lee

Post by **Vince Massimo** » Thu Dec 16, 2010 1:28 am

Charles Nicol wrote:
sorry i did not answer last night... i was having a friend for dinner

Blimey! you must have been hungry. I've never been able to eat a whole one

.

Vince

Charles Nicol · Post by **Charles Nicol** » Thu Dec 16, 2010 2:27 pm

it was my friend Louis

Charles

Trev Sawyer · Post by **Trev Sawyer** » Thu Dec 16, 2010 2:56 pm

Warning... Nerdy alert!

... I think I'm right in saying that although they depicted an adult Deaths Head Hawk moth in the posters for "Silence of the Lambs", the actual pupae they fished out of the victim's throats were more likely those of Convolvulus Hawk moths... there was a wide gap between the proboscis sheath and the main pupa in the film - in the Deaths Head Hawk moth pupa there is no gap at all.

...I'll get my coat.

Trev

Post by **Padfield** » Thu Dec 16, 2010 5:32 pm

Nerdier still...

The book mentions Acherontia styx but the moth depicted in the posters is (allegedly) Acherontia atropos (which is almost certainly also the species in Charles's original post).

Guy

Charles Nicol · Post by **Charles Nicol** » Sat Dec 18, 2010 12:13 pm

Thanks for the intriguing nerdifications Trev & Guy...

Here you can see the posters for yourself....

http://posterwire.com/wp-content/images ... _lambs.jpg

Charles

Rimo · Post by **Rimo** » Fri Jan 14, 2011 8:29 am

I seem to remember that atropos is the species on the poster, but with the markings touched up by Salvador Dali to appear more 'spooky'

Denise · Post by **Denise** » Fri Jan 14, 2011 9:22 am

Being a total idiot

I've only just worked out why it is called DHHM.
What a find Charles.

Charles Nicol · Post by **Charles Nicol** » Fri Jan 14, 2011 1:49 pm

you are not an idiot Denise

glad you liked the moth

Charles

Charles Nicol · Post by **Charles Nicol** » Sat Jan 29, 2011 11:17 am

Unfortunately my brother is stuck in the capital Cairo. Fortunately he lives away from the main trouble areas but his job is right in the centre.
It is not a good time to be wandering around taking snapshots.

Hopefully he will stay at home for the next week or so.

Charles

Post by **Padfield** » Sat Jan 29, 2011 6:15 pm

You must be worried. What a time to be in Egypt.

When he's safely home again I'm sure he'll have lots of interesting stories to tell!

Guy

David M · Post by **David M** » Sat Jan 29, 2011 6:45 pm

Hopefully he'll be okay. What's happening in Egypt right now is similar to what was going on in the dying days of Eastern European communism nearly 25 years ago.

If it's any consolation, I'd rather be a moth in Cairo right now than a human being.

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Atropos of mothing...

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