but also ate

The caterpillars pupate in a flimsy cocoon.

(Specimen : courtesy of A. Kallies et al, Photo: courtesy of Peter Marriott, Moths of Victoria - Part 2)

The adult moth rather resembles a wasp. Its wings are basically black, each with variable pale yellow translucent spots. Some specimens have a characteristic five-segment submarginal forewing patch, with a short middle segment. The abdomen has transverse black and yellow bands. The moths have a wingspan of about 3 cms. The hindwings are only about half the span of the forewings.

underside
(Photo: copyright of Brett and Marie Smith, Ellura Sanctuary, South Australia)

The males and females have different sizes and different wing patterns. As generally in the genus Amata: the female has a fatter body than the male, but a smaller wingspan.

mating pair: female on the left, male on the right
(Photo: copyright of Brett and Marie Smith, Ellura Sanctuary, South Australia)

Specimens have been taken in

Further reading :

Ian F.B. Common,
Moths of Australia,
Melbourne University Press, 1990, pl. 19.27, p. 439.

Peter Marriott,
Moths of Victoria - Part 2,
Tiger Moths and Allies - NOCTUOIDEA (A),
Entomological Society of Victoria, 2009, pp. 28-29.

Francis Walker,
Catalogue of Lepidoptera Heterocera,
List of the Specimens of Lepidopterous Insects in the Collection of the British Museum,
Part 31, Supplement 1 (1865), p. 72.

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(updated 30 April 2013, 21 February 2024)