Technical Name: Wiseana sp.
General:
Found throughout New Zealand. Attack most pasture species including Ryegrass and White Clover. Porina caterpillars damage pasture in late autumn and winter.
Identification:
Larvae are grey/yellow in colour with a dark brown head. They grow up to 6 cm. They are nocturnal and live in tunnels in the soil grazing grass and Clover. Their tunnels are associated with bare patches of pasture and dead plants. Tunnel entrances can be found as holes covered in soil castings and debris held together with silken threads. Adult moths are brown with white and have black markings on the forewing.