| 释义 |
porina N.Z.|pɒˈraɪnə|
[mod.L. (F. Walker List Specimens Lepidopterous Insects in Brit. Mus. (1856) VII. 1572).]
The larva of a moth formerly belonging to the genus Porina, now usually included in the genus Oxycanus, which damages grassland. Freq. attrib.
1929W. Martin N.Z. Nature Bk. I. xvi. 153 The Porinas, Swifts, or Bull Moths... The subterranean larvae thus attacked [by fungi] have long been known as Vegetable Caterpillars. 1940N.Z. Jrnl. Agric. Apr. 245/1 The Porina moth makes its first appearance in early October... It is the caterpillar..which causes the damage during the winter. Ibid. 246/1 Porina larvae feed almost entirely on surface leafage. 1950Ibid. Apr. 357/1 Porina..and grass⁓grub are a serious hindrance. 1966Encycl. N.Z. I. 319/1 The larval stages of the moths commonly called porina moths..are important pasture pests in New Zealand. They live in tunnels in the soil during the day and feed at night at the surface of the soil on grass foliage. 1969[see grass grub s.v. grass n.1 14]. 1973A. D. Lowe in G. R. Williams Nat. Hist. N.Z. viii. 198/2 The practice of closing paddocks for hay and seed crops frequently appears to have accentuated the porina problem. |