from
July 5, 1977
Vladimir Nabokov, Author of 'Lolita' and 'Ada,' Is Dead
By ALDEN WHITMAN:
...
Mr. Nabokov did employ pseudonyms. "My main pseudonym, Sirin, thrived from 1920 to 1940," he said in an interview for this article. "Occasionally I used the little silk mask of an additional pen name in order to deceive this or that captious critic—with most gratifying results ("At last a great writer!" cried my favorite Zoilus in 1939).

http://www.nytimes.com/books/97/03/02/lifetimes/nab-v-obit.html
 

Either this is a sleepy editorial error made in hashing several interviews and articles into an obituary, or a truly Nabokovian moment. Or both?

Both, overwhelmingly: yellowspot descriptions interpolate several rarer inklings, going here t00.
 

OED:
Yellow-spot unicorn hawk
...a species of hawk-moth, Sphinx quinque-maculatus

http://rbcm1.rbcm.gov.bc.ca/nh_papers/sphinxmoths/sphinx.html :
Manduca quinquemaculata (Haworth), Tomato Hornworm, Five-spotted Hawkmoth
Wingspan 90 - 110 mm. Description: Adult: Gray or brownish wings with light areas on the outer forewings and two dark zigzag lines crossing middle of wing; five orange-yellow spots along each side of the abdomen. Larva: Pale or dark green with black horn; V-shaped white mark on the side of each segment. Flight Period: Summer to fall. Habitat and Habit: Open areas, especially those under cultivation. Larvae feed on species of the nightshade family (Solanaceae) such as tomato and tobacco. The larvae can be serious pests. Range: Common from North Carolina north to Nova Scotia and Ontario, west to southern British Columbia. Uncommon in southeast North America.