"The Acanthosphinx is a sparrow-sized animal that superficially resembles a large sphinx moth. The adult has five compound eyes, a tremendous proboscis tipped with a pair of strong jaws, allowing it to feed on flowers and tree sap, making it something of a minor menace to Underworld gardeners. Further caution must be given, as what appears to be soft, velvety fur is really an array of tiny, needle-sharp, venomous calcite spines.
On the other hand, they have a melodious song, composed of tinkling chirps. Demons often enjoy listening to Acanthosphinx sing while the horrid bugs investigate the tears of living prisoners, considering the whole spectacle to be wonderfully entertaining.
As for the larval Acanthosphinx, it must be noted that what appear to be large, paired spines are actually tremendous clusters of venomous bristles. Beyond that caveat, the less said about the vegetarian horrors, the better."
What's not to like about a Burgess Shale weirdo like Opabinia masquerading as a Sphinx moth? Sphinxes (Sphinges? Apparently that's the other plural form of that word) are already pretty weird lepidopterans. If you've never seen one in real life, they look remarkably like hummingbirds as they flit from flower to flower.
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