Grub of a Pūriri moth.

According to a Ngāti Kahungunu tradition, an ancestor named Hinepeke (jumping woman) married Tūteahuru, a grandson of Tāne, god of the forest. They produced a vast number of insects and lizards that dwell within the earth, on the land or stones, and in the water.

One descendant was the pepetuna, commonly known as the pūriri moth or ghost moth (Aenetus virescens), a parasite of pūriri trees.

Aenetus virescens (Doubleday, 1843)

Genus: Aenetus Family: Hepialidae Order: Lepidoptera Class: Insecta Phylum: Arthropoda Kingdom: Animalia

Image: By I. Tony Wills, Wikimedia Commons CC BY 2.5

More information on the Te Ara website.

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