What's Amata with this moth?
Resolving the iconic yet cryptic genus of Amata (Erebidae: Arctiinae: Syntomiini) in Australia
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Amata nigriceps male on a leaf, being awesome in New South Wales. Image by Georgina Binns
What's the deal with these moths?
What's the deal with these moths?
My name is Georgina Binns, and I just finished my PhD on warning signal variation in these charismatic little moths, Amata nigriceps!
Whilst I learned a lot about this little 'tiger moth' (they're actually wasp moths, because that's what we think they're trying to mimic!), I've been left with more questions than answers about who they even are.
The Amata mostly all look the same and they're super hard to ID!
I'm about to embark on a HUGE project - to revise the entire genus in Australia, which is currently 39 species, but I'm predicting I'll end up with nearly double that.
Why does it even matter who they are? Come and find out!
Have you seen an Amata moth out and about? Let me know!
Have you seen an Amata moth out and about? Let me know!
Amata nigriceps
Amata nigriceps
Stacked Image by Georgina Binns
Eressa geographica
Eressa geographica
Eressa are sister genus to Amata
Stacked image by Georgina Binns
Funding Acknowledgements
Funding Acknowledgements
And massive thanks also to these legends
And massive thanks also to these legends
You Ning Su, Dr Marianne Horak and Dr Andreas Zwick at the Australian National Insect Collection, CSIRO, Canberra ACT
Dr Nick Dowdy, Head of Zoology and Director of Collections Informatics at the Milwaukee Public Museum, WI USA
Prof. Mariella Herberstein, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW and Head of Taxonomy and Morphology at the Zoological Museum Hamburg, Germany
Related Publications
Related Publications
Binns et al. (2022). Additive genetic variation, but not temperature, influences warning signal expression in Amata nigriceps moths (Lepidoptera: Arctiinae). Ecology and Evolution, 12(7). https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.9111
Hämäläinen, Binns et al. (2023). Predator selection on multicomponent warning signals in an aposematic moth. Behavioral Ecology, arad097, https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arad097
Binns et al. (2025). Sexual differences in defensive strategies: investigating chemical defences and visual signals in a wasp moth Amata nigriceps. Royal Society Open Science, 12: 242186, https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.242186
Mothy Media
Mothy Media
‘Down and dirty: the Aussie women working in entomology’ - Australian Geographic, 2018 https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/topics/science-environment/2018/04/down-and-dirty-the-aussie-women-working-in-entomology/
‘In Honour of Moths’ – Off Track with Dr Ann Jones, ABC National Podcast, 2021 https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/offtrack/in-honour-of-moths-insects/13423904
"Animals with extreme minimalist mindsets" - What the Duck?! with Dr Ann Jones, ABC National Podcast, March 2024: https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/what-the-duck/minimalism-in-nature/103482390
"Legless lizards, mouthless moths and wingless flies: Meet the minimalists of the animal world" - ABC Science, March 2024: https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2024-03-16/minimalist-animals-legless-lizard-mouthless-moths-wingless-flies/103581180
"When animals put other animals in jail" - What the Duck?! with Dr Ann Jones, ABC National Podcast, June 2024: https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/what-the-duck/when-animals-put-other-animals-in-jail/103834066
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