Subject: Big Hairy Moth
Geographic location of the bug: Lower Hutt Wellington NZ
Date: 10/19/2021
Time: 02:24 AM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: Hi, found this moth dead.
Never seen it before.
Please help identify.
How you want your letter signed: Sophie
Dear Sophie,
This is a Gum Emperor Moth, Opodiphthera eucalypti. According to CitSciHub.NZ: “The Emperor Gum moth, Opodiphthera eucalypti, is a large hairy nocturnal species of moth native to Australia and were introduced to the North and South Islands of New Zealand about 1939 .
The moths live for no more than a couple of days and they never eat.”
Thank you! I worked it out in the end.
No wonder it was dead as it has such a short life!