Putaputaweta

Carpodetus serratus – Marble Leaf, Putaputaweta, Bucket of Water tree.

Putaputaweta name came about because Puriri moth larvae make holes in the Putaputaweta and graze the Cambrian layer. Once they leave these holes are often used by Weta name “Putaputaweta” means “many wetas”. The scars can be clearly seen on most tress.

For more information visit Puriri moth larva.

Putaputaweta has the name “Bucket-of-water tree” because its soft, sappy wood does not burn well when it is green and gives little heat when it is dried out.

Putaputaweta description

Putaputaweta is wide spread though out New Zealand and tends to be found in the secondary stage or regeneration.

The Putaputaweta is a small, spreading tree to 10 m tall, with a trunk to 20–30 cm in diameter with rough greyish bark.

Putaputaweta leaves

Picture:

a young plant flowering with smaller leaves at confidence course

Putaputaweta, is also known as marble leaf because of its mottled leaves. The tree has a distinct juvenile phase with smaller leaves on zig-zagging branchlets.

The picture here is adult leaves.

Putaputaweta flowers and seeds

Putaputaweta is monoecious (has both male and female reproductive units on the same plant). Putaputaweta has white flowers 5 mm wide which occur in broad panicles in late spring followed by seed capsules January-February or though dried fruit can be present at any time.

The Fruit is a black capsule 4-6mm. The seed is distributed by the birds.

Here is adult leaves, they are much bigger and not as brightly co loured

Putaputaweta in the ecosystem

This plant is host to the Puriri moth which makes hole in the tree and grazes the cambrian layer, this allows several other insects to make their home

• Wetas live in the holes
• Worker ants of the species Prolasius advenus (The small brown bush ant) feed on sap exposed by the wound created in the callus tissue of the tree by the moth larvae.

These holes often weaken the tree.

Puriri Moth and Putaputaweta

Puriri moth have a Tree phase as caterpillars

The transfer phase caterpillar moults to a paler tree phase caterpillar. This caterpillar is a delicate transparent purplish-pink with a hardened dark-brown head capsule. The caterpillar grazes on the cambium and the soft tissue (callus tissue) that grows round the opening of the burrow as the tree tries to repair itself.

To protect itself and hide the caterpillar builds a web over the hole and the area it grazes. Some refuse and excrement (frass) is used in the web cover, the rest is ejected through a hole at the bottom of the web covering. As the caterpillar grows, it enlarges its burrow, widening it and making it longer. The establishment burrow may become blocked with frass. The mature caterpillar can grow to about 100 mm long and 15 mm in diameter.

The tree phase caterpillar can live up to five years, but this stage may be as short as eight months. The mean time for male caterpillars is about two years and for females, about three years.

Pupation and moth emergence

When the caterpillar has reached full size, it first removes pieces of the web covering the feeding scar. It may make many small holes or remove the entire central portion of the web. Then the caterpillar blocks the top of the vertical burrow with a fibrous disc and pupates.

New pupae may be found in every month from March to November. Pupal duration is shortest for those formed in October and November, but the mean duration is 151 days for males and 173 days for females.

When the moth is ready to emerge, the pupa wriggles up the shaft, pushes up the disc and protrudes through the camouflaging web. Movement up the shaft is helped by 12 horny ridges, armed with hooklets, on the upper side of the abdomen and five similar ridges on the underside.

Pictures

A Puriri caterpillar has burrowed into a Putaputaweta tree and has a webbing over its hole The next picture is the webbing removed exposing where it is grazing on the Cambrian layer. Picture no 3 is a side view of the hole