Puriri moth
| Puriri moth | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Hepialidae |
| Genus: | Aenetus |
| Species: | A. virescens |
| Binomial name | |
| Aenetus virescens (Doubleday, 1843) | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
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
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Male, ventral view
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Female, ventral view
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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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