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Te anuhe o te pepe tuna

Puriri moth caterpillar

Aenetus virescens (Doubleday)
Hoki ki te He aha tēnei pepeke? Back to What is this bug?
Puriri caterpillar. Image: gtee / CC BY NC

Puriri caterpillar. Image: gtee / CC BY NC

Pūtoi
Order
Lepidoptera
Whānau
Family
Hepialidae
Show in English Te Reo

Te Rahi

  • He anuhe nui, tērā ka tipu kia 70–80 mm te roa

Size range

  • A large caterpillar, up to 70–80 mm long

Te Tītaringa

  • Nō Aotearoa taketake ake. Kei Te Ika a Māui.

Distribution

  • New Zealand native. North Island

Te Huringa Ora

  • Ka roa tonu ngā anuhe e ora ana – kei te takiwā pea o te whitu tau.
  • Ka ruiruia ngā hua e te pūrēhua pakeke ki te papa o te ngahere.
  • Noho ai ngā anuhe kōhungahunga ki te otaota rau, i runga i ngā harore, i ngā rākau rānei kua pōpopo. Kātahi ka piki i tētahi rākau (ko te pūriri me te putaputawētā ngā tino rākau) ka kōwiri atu ki te kahiwi.
  • Noho ai ēnei anuhe ki tētahi anaroa i te kahiwi, me te kai i te kiko mārō ka tipu ake i te waha o te anaroa kua kōwiria e ia. Ka tuia anō e ia he papanga ki tana miro, hei tatau mō tana anaroa.

Life history

  • Caterpillars are long lived, probably 7 years
  • Eggs are scattered by the adult over the forest floor
  • The young caterpillars live at first in the leaf litter on fungus and rotten wood, then climb the trunk of a tree (often puriri or putaputaweta) and bore into the trunk
  • They live in a tunnel in the trunk of the tree, feeding on callous tissue that the tree is induced to produce around the wound at the entrance of the tunnel. The tunnel entrance is protected by a tough silken cover

He pārongo atu anō

Further information

Male puriri moth [Aenetus virescens]. Image: Ruud Kleinpaste © Ruud Kleinpaste Image
Male puriri moth Aenetus virescens. Image: Ruud Kleinpaste © Ruud Kleinpaste
Puriri moth. Image: Birgit Rhode, Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research / CC-BY Image
Puriri moth. Image: Birgit Rhode, Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research / CC-BY
Puriri moth. Image: Birgit Rhode, Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research / CC-BY Image
Puriri moth. Image: Birgit Rhode, Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research / CC-BY
Puriri caterpillar. Image: gtee / CC BY NC Image
Puriri caterpillar. Image: gtee / CC BY NC
Pruri moth entrance hole. Image: Phil Bendle Collection, CitSciHub.nz Image
Pruri moth entrance hole. Image: Phil Bendle Collection, CitSciHub.nz
Puriri caterpillar foraging tracks. Image: Phil Bendle Collection, CitSciHub.nz Image
Puriri caterpillar foraging tracks. Image: Phil Bendle Collection, CitSciHub.nz
Puriri pupa. Image: Shaun Lee / CC BY 4.0 Image
Puriri pupa. Image: Shaun Lee / CC BY 4.0