tuna

1. (noun) eel of various species, including the longfin eel (Anguilla dieffenbachii) and shortfin eel (Anguilla australis).

Ko te hīnaki aka anō te mea pai ake ki te hopu tuna, i tā te Pākehā (HP 1991:15). / The eel pot made from vines is a better one to catch eels than that of the Pākehā.

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Synonyms: hikumutu, takotowhenua, tuna hinahina, putu, tuna heke, matamoe, papakura, aopori, hao

rama tuna

1. (verb) to catch eels by torchlight.

I ētahi pō haere mai ai a Tīpene ki te rama tuna (HP 1991:17). / Some nights Stephen came to catch eels by torchlight.

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tuna heke

1. (noun) migrating eel.

2. (noun) shortfin eel, Anguilla australis - a quite large type of eel, dark olive to olive-green in colour, and whitish-grey to silvery ventrally. Widespread in lowland fresh waterways. Usually nocturnal and lives under cover of overhanging rocks and debris. Caught in a hīnaki.

pepe tuna

1. (noun) pūriri moth, Aenetus virescens – a large, conspicuous, green-winged moth with glowing red eyes. Young larvae hatch from eggs in the forest leaf litter, where they begin their development. They then moult into a conspicuous 'transfer phase' form that moves out of the litter and climbs the trunk of a suitable host tree, often a pūriri or putaputawētā. The larva forms a typical '7'-shaped tunnel and a silk-covered external feeding scar over the entrance. Once established the larvae moult into the 'tree phase', in which they complete their growth. The entire larval period may take as much as 4 years, and mature larvae may exceed 100 mm in length. Pupation occurs inside the shaft, and most adults emerge in spring or early summer.

He rere ahiahi, rere pō te pepe tuna; nā whai anō ka whakapaetia te pepe tuna he karere nō te ao wairua, he wairua rānei o tētahi tipuna kua hoki mai ki te tāpae kōrero ki ōna uri. He kaitā te pepe tuna, e 15 henimita te hōrapa o ōna parirau kawakawa (Te Ara 2012). / Because the pūriri moth flies at dusk and into the night, the suggestion is that it is a messenger of the realm of spirits, or a spirit of an ancestor returning to visit his or her descendants. The pūriri moth is large, with bright green wings that span 15 centimetres.

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pā tuna

1. (noun) eel weir, weir for catching eels.

He pā tuna i te awa o Nūhaka (HP 1991:15). / There was an eel weir on the Nūhaka river.

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tuna hinahina

1. (noun) shortfin eel, Anguilla australis - a quite large type of eel, dark olive to olive-green in colour, and whitish-grey to silvery ventrally. Widespread in lowland fresh waterways. Usually nocturnal and lives under cover of overhanging rocks and debris. Caught in a hīnaki.

tuna kaingārā

1. (noun) yellow moray, Gymnothorax prasinus - a fish varying in colour from dull golden yellow to bright green. Body elongated and laterally compressed. Large head with strong, hinged teeth and small gill openings. Skin leathery. Found from the Bay of Plenty northwards.

Kiri tuna

1. Eel skin: someone who is tough and resilient.

E kore te kiri tuna rā e raru i ngā whakaparahako a ērā / that thick-skinned one won't be troubled by their insults.

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tuna korokoro

1. (noun) lamprey, Geotria australis - an eel-like fish that has a sucker mouth with horny teeth and a rasping tongue. A highly valued food of Māori. Found around North, South, Stewart and Chatham Islands coasts, penetrating inland to 230 km.