"KUMARA GRUB."

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 68, 21 March 1935, Page 5

"KUMARA GRUB."

GIANT CATERPILLAR. THREE INCHES LONG. PECULIARITIES OF MOTH. An unusual caterpillar of great size is appearing in large numbers in various parts of the North Island. Over three inches long and almost as thick as a man's linger, it is known as the sphinx caterpillar from its habit of rearing up in the manner of a sphinx. The usual colour is a vivid green with black breathing holes along each side of the body that appear like portholes on a ship. Brown and white specimens are also found. The caterpillar feeds

only on plants of the convolvulus I family, and it is known to farmers as the kumara grub. A striking feature is a long, sharp horn, like a rose thorn, at the end of the body, used to repel birds and other enemies. Mr. E. A. Falla, ornithologist at the. Auckland War Memorial Museum, said that he had had many inquiries lately about this giant caterpillar, which was the largest found in New Zealand. Although they were found in most parts of the world they had previously been fairly rare in New Zealand. The moth that evolved from the sphinx caterpillar was much smaller than one would expect from so large a grub. It was known as the hawk moth, from its remarkably swift flight and its curious hovering action when extracting honey from flowers. Its colouring was a delicate grey and black, with mottled wings and a body striped in pink, black, and white. The moth was no less extraordinary than the caterpillar, having a t proboscis, or feeding tube, over six inches long.