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SCIPAD - BIG IDEAS - BOOK 2
LIFE OF MICROBES
Fungi and Tā Moko
Māori tūpuna found an interesting way to make a rich black ink for tattooing. They used a fungus
called āwheto (Ophiocordyceps robertsii).
Āwheto is a fungal parasite that infects and feeds on one of two species of forest caterpillar.
Tūpuna searched the forest floor looking for the distinctive woody spike of the āwheto. Once
found, the āwheto could be pulled from the soil, still having the shape and appearance of the
caterpillar it had consumed.
The āwheto was then burnt in a fire. Unlike wood that forms a grey ash when burned, the ash from
āwheto is black. This ash was mixed with bird fat to make the ink for creating rich black moko.
1. Scientists call the āwheto a parasite of the caterpillars they grow in. Suggest a definition for
the term ‘parasite’. 

2. Suggest a reason why the spores of the āwheto are very small and light. 

3. Fungi require certain conditions in order to grow. Describe how the conditions inside the
caterpillar would be suitable for fungal growth. 


4. Outline why the remains of the dead caterpillars can be described as ‘wood-like’, but are
not actually made of wood. 


5. Not all the caterpillars in a region of forest get infected with āwheto. Describe why this is
important to the survival of both the caterpillars and the āwheto fungus. 



6. Outline why āwheto were highly prized by tohunga tā moko (tattooists). 


1
Spores of the fungus travel through the air and settle on the forest floor. Caterpillars of two types of native moth
begin the life cycle of āwheto when they eat or inhale the spores.
2
After ingesting the spores, the caterpillar retreats into its burrow in the ground. The spore develops into a
fungus that begins to consume the caterpillar, turning its body into a wood-like substance.
3
When the fungus is ready to reproduce, a thin filament grows from behind the caterpillar’s head, pushes up
through the soil, and extends a ‘fruiting body’ above the ground.
4
The fruiting body releases thousands of tiny spores into the air. The wind disperses the spores far from the
caterpillar’s burrow, where they may be eaten by other caterpillars, beginning the life-cycle once again.
Life Cycle of the Ā Āwheto Fungus
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