The Lake Biwa midge
In Otsu City, which faces Lake Biwa, the largest in Japan, there starts a problem in November, because a lot of giant chironomids occur. Along the shores, it is hated by people such as at restaurants. People call this “the…
Where the huge ladybug, Callicaria superba, goes?
A ladybug species Callicaria superba is one of the largest in Japan, and is known to live also in western provinces of such as Shaanxi and Guizhou, China. It is interesting that the distribution is isolated. It is found in…
How to see the biggest ladybug
There are over 100 species of ladybugs in Japan. The ones we often see are about 5 mm in size. One of the biggest is Aiolocaria hexaspilota which is over 1 cm in size. Many ladybugs feed on aphids, but…
Haiku season and insects（俳句の季節と昆虫）
Haiku is a short poem with 17 voices, in which you must include seasonal words. There is a standard book on haiku called “Saijiki”（歳時記）, which contains seasonal vocabulary. Some of them can be seen throughout the year. For example, the…
An insect specimen collected in 26th Century?
Looking at ancient insect specimens, I saw a label collected in the 26th century. This is a calendar year unique to Japan. The current emperor is the 126th generation, and the year when the first emperor came to the throne…
Emperor Ladybug
The ladybugs named after the emperor mentioned earlier (here). The scientific name is Chlocorus mikado. Its size is 3 mm, color is entirely black, and the shape is round. It used to be a rare beetle, but since it was…
A beautiful moth = Satsuma-nishiki
This is an insect called ”Satsuma-nishiki” in Japanese name. The scientific name is Erasmia pulchella nipponica. Although it is not a butterfly but a kind of moth, it has a very beautiful color. Moths usually gather in the light at…
Amida Buddha and Ladybugs
In Japan, there is a ladybug species with the name of Amida Buddha. The scientific name is Amida tricolor, and the three colors of red, black and yellow are beautiful. It is often seen in laurel forests, so this may…
Which beetle represents Japan?
There are animals or plants that represent the country, just like the panda of China and .the Condor of USA. I don’t know what is for Japan. But as to the beetles, it would be the snail wearer (the scientific…
You can see ancient dragonflies in Japan
There are two types of dragonflies. One is a group of damselflies. Their bodies are thin and flutters. The other group includes darners and red dragonflies: Their bodies are solid and fly fast. To tell the truth, there is the…
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