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Mila'sExotic Plants & CuriositiesA living collection by Luminary OdditiesLuminary Oddities · Natural history & art
Aenetus virescens
Lepidoptera / Hepialidae
Aenetus virescens is a large New Zealand ghost moth whose caterpillar shelters in a tree tunnel and feeds around its entrance. Females have dark forewing mottling and buff hindwings; smaller males typically carry white forewing markings and greener hindwings.
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Aenetus virescens (Doubleday, 1843) belongs to Hepialidae. The New Zealand Organisms Register retains it as an endemic species; it was originally described as Hepialus virescens. [2]
Females reach 150 mm wingspan, males approximately 100 mm. Usually green, females have dark forewing mottling and buff hindwings; males have white forewing marks and greener hindwings. [1]
Larvae first inhabit litter and fungi, then enter living trees. Mature larvae pupate near the shaft’s bottom; pupae ascend through its closure before emergence. [1]
Males in particular come to lights. Females scatter eggs over forested ground. [1]
The tunnel combines a vertical refuge and an upward-sloping entrance. A tough silken web conceals the opening; additional shafts may develop as the occupant grows. [1]
Abandoned tunnels can shelter other insects, including wētā. Kākā reach the larvae by tearing into wood; moreporks catch flying adults. [1]
The Māori name pepe tuna and the English name pūriri moth are recorded in the New Zealand insect-name register. The scientific name dates to Doubleday’s 1843 description. [2]
Keep the enclosure closed and display it in indirect light, away from heat and damp conditions. Handle the frame by its edges and clean only its exterior according to the maker’s instructions.
Scion, New Zealand Forest Research Institute; revised 2009 · Accessed 2026-10-13
New Zealand Organisms Register · Accessed 2026-10-13
New Zealand Department of Conservation · Accessed 2026-10-13
Townsend; Department of Conservation (1997) · Accessed 2026-10-13
Sources checked 2026-10-13. Illustrations · Luminary Oddities.
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