"A total of 37 live caterpillars and 41 dead moths were found," he said. "The dead moths were wrapped in paper triangle envelopes in a box in what Mr Warren called the 'butterfly room' and were ready to be posted out to be used in displays."
Ham said all the malaysian moon moths were unauthorised and considered to be "new organisms" under the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act.
Warren had been sent 20 to 30 eggs late last year in a small plastic tube inside a greeting card by a friend living in New Caledonia.
Ham said the bug expert sensed it was wrong but his excitement at the opportunity it presented "drowned out" any thoughts of reporting the eggs and handing them into MPI.
In sentencing, Judge Lance Rowe said that if the moths had posed a greater risk to New Zealand's ecosystem, or if they had been dealt with for profit, the likely sentence would have been imprisonment.
Ham said the sentence was a reflection of the risk the foreign organisms posed to New Zealand.
"Due to the tropical nature of the species of moth they would not have become established here in New Zealand, however, there is always the risk that associated organisms and pathogens that can live on the moths could be introduced.
"A more detrimental effect on New Zealand's ecosystem could occur if a different species were introduced from a more temperate climate similar to that of New Zealand."
