Umesuka Kuroba - Umesuka Kuroba

A moth belonging to the order Lepidoptera and the family Zygaenidae in the class Insecta. It is a small species with a wing span of around 23 mm. The wings are transparent, but the wing veins and the base of the forewings are black. The body is black with a slight blue sheen. It appears in early summer and is active during the day. It is also known as Umekunga (plum scented moth) because it often attacks plum trees. The larvae are also called Haraka and Koshidaka Moths, and are pests that feed on the leaves of plum, peach, cherry, apricot, and plum trees. The larvae hatch at the end of summer and hibernate in the cracks of trees as young adults, feeding on new buds in spring and leaves when the leaves open, and pupate on the undersides of leaves in late spring. The larvae have poisonous spines that cause pain when touched. It is distributed in Hokkaido, Honshu, Tsushima and eastern Siberia, and lives in plains.

[Hiroshi Inoue]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

昆虫綱鱗翅(りんし)目マダラガ科に属するガ。はねの開張23ミリメートル内外の小形種。はねは透明であるが、翅脈上と前ばねの基部などが黒い。体は黒色を帯びるが多少青色の輝きがある。初夏に出現し、昼間活動する。よくウメにつくので、ウメクンガ（梅薫蛾）の俗称もある。幼虫はハラアカ、コシダカケムシともよばれ、ウメ、モモ、サクラ、アンズ、スモモなどの葉を食べる害虫。夏の終わりに孵化(ふか)した幼虫は、若齢で木の割れ目などに潜んで越冬し、春には新芽を、開葉すれば葉を食べて晩春に葉裏で蛹化(ようか)する。幼虫には毒針毛があるので触れると痛みを覚える。北海道、本州、対馬(つしま)およびシベリア東部に分布し、平地にすむ。

［井上　寛］

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