What's Amata with this moth?

Resolving the iconic yet cryptic genus of Amata (Erebidae: Arctiinae: Syntomiini) in Australia

Amata nigriceps male on a leaf, being awesome in New South Wales. Image by Georgina Binns

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!

georgina.binns@mq.edu.au

Amata nigriceps

Stacked Image by Georgina Binns

Eressa geographica

Eressa are sister genus to Amata

Stacked image by Georgina Binns

Funding Acknowledgements



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

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