Insects

Peketua	Rakaiora
Tu-te-wanawana	Tu-te-wehiwehi

Representing reptiles and insects, both of which come under the appellation of ngarara. Rakaiora is not mentioned as an originating being, a "parent" but simply as a personified form of the lizard, in some places at least of the green lizard (moko kakariki) only. The other three names have a personificatory application as well as a "parental" one. Lizards and insects are collectively known as the whanau akaaka, the whanau a Peketua, and the aitanga pepeke (the repulsive ones, the offspring of Peketua, the insect family). Lizards and insects are said to be the offspring of Peketua and Mihamiha by some authorities, in other districts they are traced to Punga and the Tu given above. One Toro-i-waho is said to have been the origin of the smaller forms of ngarara, and he is also credited with producing climbing and creeping plants. Toro was one of the primal offspring.

An old saying runs as follows: "Me mate a Tama-ngarara, me mate ki te ata haere." This looks much as if it were the saying of a man who declined to hurry himself, even if danger lay in lagging, I was told, however, that tama-ngarara is a kind of lizard that does not take fright and hurry away when one comes upon it. This may be so, but looks doubtful, and viewed as a personification term it does not impress one. The word tama is employed in a peculiar way in such expressions as tamaroto, tama-ngarengare, and tama-tenana.

Anuhe	Moka
Torongu

Here we have the names of three creatures, forms of caterpillar, that attack the sweet potato plants. These names are employed as proper names in an old fable, as personifying the three species. When Rongomaui purloined the sweet potato from Whanui and brought it to this world for cultivation, then Whanui sent Anuhe, Moka nd Tatongu down to earth to punish Rongo, they did so by destroying his sweet potato crop. The stolen seed tubers are spoken of as tamariki kumara or sweet potato children. When a new crop was produced by Pani, wife of Rongo, we are told that 'Now the Kumara Children were born, and their names were Pio, Toroamahoe, Matatu, etc' These names are those of varieties of the sweet potato. These two items of personification lore serve to illustrate the Maori penchant for personifying things animate and inanimate.

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Panewharu	Personified forms of earthworms.
Noke	Personified forms of earthworms.
Whiti	Personified forms of earthworms.
Tea	Personified forms of earthworms.
Mokoroa	Personified form of wood grub.
Moenganui	Personified form of flies.
Hikawaru	Personified form of the cicada.

The mosquito and sandfly are said to be the offspring of Mouehu and Hekapona (? hekaponga), these names referring to fern growth wherein these pests lurk to attack man. The mosquito, sandfly, ant, and many other creatures are personified in fables, and sometimes even in ordinary discourse.

Irawaru	Personified form of dogs, and tutelary beings of same.
Hme-huruhuru	Personified form of glow worm.
Moko-huruhuru	Personified form of glow worm.