This is a male pepe-tuna (pūriri moth, Aenetus virescens). Listen to Hirini Melbourne sing about the ghostly night-time appearance of this giant green moth (its wingspan reaches 15 centimetres).
Pepe-tuna nunui
Kēhua kākāriki
Wairua rere o te pō
Pepe-tuna nunui
Kēhua kākāriki
rere runga puriri e.
Large pepe-tuna (pūriri moth)
A green apparition
Flying spirit of the night
Large Pepe-tuna
A green apparition
Flying on to a pūriri tree.
Sound file from Radio New Zealand Sound Archives Ngā Taonga Kōrero. Any re-use of this audio is a breach of copyright. To request a copy of the recording, contact Sound Archives Ngā Taonga Kōrero (Hirini Melbourne – waiata pepe tuna/Reference number MPT 1981)
Using this item
Department of Conservation
Reference:
10033130
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