SELWYN TIMES
Tuesday August 8 2017
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Backyard Critters Huhu beetle hard to mistake Mike Bowie is an ecologist who specialises in entomology (insects and other invertebrates). Each week he introduces a new species found in his backyard at Lincoln. His column aims to raise public awareness of biodiversity, the variety of living things around us THE ENDEMIC huhu (Prionoplus reticularis) is New Zealand’s largest (up to 50mm) beetle. Their nugget-brown appearance, with paler wing-vein markings and long, thick antennae make this beetle hard to mistake. The adult is most commonly seen around outdoor lights on summer nights where their clumsy erratic flight and noisy buzz is very distinctive. The adults only live for about two weeks and do not eat, but can inflict a bite. Females lay clusters of cigar-shaped eggs under bark or in crevices of dead wood including pine, kahikatea, kauri
STANDOUT: The endemic huhu has a nugget-brown appearance, paler wing-vein markings and long, thick antennae. or rimu using their sharp tipped ovipositor. Eggs hatch after about three weeks and larvae burrow into the wood, excavating tunnels and leaving a trail of coarse frass (insect poo) behind them. The huhu holes aid the breakdown of logs by allowing moisture and fungi access, while weta can use the holes as refugia. Huhu larvae grow to a maximum of 75mm long, taking two to three years to pupate. Huhu larvae are eaten by Maori and used as fishing bait. Larvae are also eaten by native birds such as weka and kiwi, while morepork prey on the adults.
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NEW LIFE: Endemic huhu eggs hatch after about three weeks and larvae burrow into the wood, excavating tunnels and leaving a trail of coarse frass behind them.
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