Aenetus virescens

Aenetus virescens is an endemic New Zealand moth in the family Hepialidae and is the country’s largest moth. It occurs throughout the North Island in native forest, parks and gardens. The larvae begin life feeding on fungi associated with dead wood, before moving into living trees where they bore into the trunk and feed beneath a webbed covering. Adults are short-lived and have no functional mouthparts, surviving only a few days after emerging. Females can reach a wingspan of around 150 mm.