Pūriri moth
| Puriri moth | |
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| Species: | A. virescens
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| Binomial name | |
| Aenetus virescens (Doubleday, 1843)
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The puriri moth, Aenetus virescens, is a moth of the family Hepialidae, endemic to the North Island of New Zealand. It is New Zealand's largest moth, with a wingspan of up to 150 mm.[1][2]
The moth spends the first five to six years of its life as a grub in a tree trunk (including non-native species such as Eucalyptus), with the last 48 hours of its life as a moth. Footage has been taken of a puriri moth chrysalis hatching over a period of one hour and forty minutes.[3]
Gallery
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Male, dorsal view -
Male, ventral view -
Female, ventral view -
Female, dorsal view
References
- ^ LandCare New Zealand
- ^ Photos
- ^ Blundell, Kay (9 December 2009). "'World first' as camera catches moth emerging". The Dominion Post. Retrieved 4 November 2011.
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