hīhue
1. (noun) kūmara moth, convolvulus hawk moth, Agrius convolvuli - a grey-brown native moth which was often seen sucking nectar from the flowers of the gourd plant. The large caterpillar (hōtete, kauā or kauwaha) was a pest in gardens, eating the leaves of the kūmara.
Ko te hīhue, he pūrerehua, he mea rere i te pō, engari ko tōna kāinga tuatahi kai te whenua, ka puta ake ka noho ki runga ki ngā puāwai hue (W 1971:49). / The hawk moth is a moth that flies at night, but its first home is in the ground and when it emerges it lives on the gourd flowers.
Synonyms: kōwenewene, hīue
