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.
