The Māori name huhu is ultimately Austronesian in origin from root form *bukbuk₃, where cognates in related languages (like Tagalog bukbok) refer to weevils known to infest wood and rice across tropical Southeast Asia.

[6] Setae that are found on abdominal segments 1-6 assist in providing support as the larva leaves the egg and excavates the initial gallery.

[6] The whitish-coloured larvae measure up to 70 millimetres (2.8 in) long and normally feed on dead wood of gymnosperms (mainly native and introduced conifers) associated with lowland podocarp forest.

[6] The larva then undergoes a resting period of around ten to fifteen days where the abdominal segments contract and the body darkens slightly whereupon it moults into a pupa.

[6] The emerged adult may then enter an inactive period of three to five days prior to creating an exit tunnel out of the pupal cavity.

[12] The larvae of P. reticularis are edible to humans, with a long history of indigenous consumption, and their flavour has been described as like buttery chicken[13] or peanut butter.

[14] There are different names in Māori for grubs at different stages of development, for example young larvae still actively feeding on timber are called tunga haere or tunga rākau, while full grown grubs which have ceased to feed and are preparing to pupate are called tataka and are the most prized (because there is no undigested wood pulp inside of them at this point).

Huhu grubs may be consumed either raw or traditionally cooked in a hāngī, and are an especially rich source of fat in the New Zealand wilderness.

[16] Protein extracts from huhu larvae and pupae are high in essential amino acids such as isoleucine, lysine, leucine, and valine.