Acherontia atropos wani nau'in asu ne wanda aka fi sani da "hawkmoth-kai na mutuwa". Kalmar "Acherontia" ta samo asali ne daga kalmar Helenanci "Acheron", wanda shine kogi a cikin tarihin Girkanci wanda aka yi imani da cewa kogin bala'i ne da iyaka tsakanin masu rai da matattu. "Atropos" shine sunan daya daga cikin Fates guda uku a cikin tarihin Girkanci, wanda ke da alhakin yanke zaren rayuwa. Saboda haka, ana iya fassara sunan "Acherontia atropos" a matsayin "mutuwar kai hawkmoth", alamar mutuwa ko iyaka tsakanin rayuwa da mutuwa.