Huhu beetle
| Huhu beetle | |
|---|---|
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Family: | Cerambycidae |
| Subfamily: | Prioninae |
| Genus: | Prionoplus |
| Species: | P. reticularis |
| Binomial name | |
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Prionoplus reticularis White, 1843 |
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The huhu beetle (Prionoplus reticularis), an endemic species to New Zealand, is a member of the longhorn beetle family (Cerambycidae). It is the heaviest beetle found in New Zealand.
To Māori, the larval form is known as huhu (also tunga haere, tunga rākau) with the adult stage known as pepe-te-muimui. However, the larval and adult forms are commonly referred to as the huhu grub and huhu beetle, respectively.
Female adult huhu beetles oviposit their 3mm cigar-shaped eggs in clutches of ten to fifty. Eggs hatch after roughly three weeks, remaining in their larval form for two to three years.
The whitish larvae are up to 70 millimetres (2.8 in) long and normally feed on dead wood of gymnosperms (mainly native and introduced conifers) associated with lowland podocarp forest. They are edible, and are said by some to taste like buttery chicken.
As the huhu reaches maturity it ceases to bore and casts its skin. This still edible stage is known in Maori as tataka. It then develops wings and legs, and while it is still white, it is known as pepe. Finally, it emerges and flies off to reproduce and is known as tunga rere. In this full adult stage, it no longer eats food and only lives for approximately two weeks.
The beetles are nocturnal and are attracted by the lights of dwelling. They have powerful mandibles, which can produce a painful bite.
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Wikipedia