Oowata - Oowata

Japanese: オオワタ - おおわた

… As all members of the cotton-like aphid family are covered in cotton-like secretions, as their name suggests, the alates that fly slowly to migrate in late autumn are known in northern Japan as a seasonal feature that signals the arrival of winter, and are called yukimushi (snow bugs). They are also commonly known as oowata and shirobamba. [Masahisa Miyazaki]. …

From [Snow Bugs]

...It is said that it looks like snow, and that when this insect flies, it will eventually become snow. In Tokyo, it is called "Oowata" or "Shiratako", in Kyoto "Shirakoya Okomahan", in Yamato and other areas "Shirokobaba", in Ise "Onatsukojoro", in Izu "Shirobamba", in Mito "Oyukikojoro", and other dialects, and children played with this insect by chasing it. Among aphids, those in the subfamily Aphidinae in particular have many glands that secrete a white waxy substance, and when they secrete a lot, their entire body appears to be wrapped in white cotton. The main species, Eriosoma , Prociphilus , Tetraneura , and Schlechtendalia , are conspicuous when they leave their autumn host plants and fly to their winter hosts, and so they have been a popular pastime for children since the Edo period, but chasing them seems to be gradually being forgotten.

*Some of the terminology that mentions "Oowata" is listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

Japanese:

…　ワタムシの仲間はいずれもその名のように綿状の分泌物を体にまとうので，晩秋の移住のために緩やかに飛ぶ有翅虫は，北国では冬の訪れを告げる風物詩として知られ，ユキムシ(雪虫)と呼ばれる。オオワタ，シロバンバの俗称もある。【宮崎昌久】。…

【雪虫】より

…雪のようだとも，この虫が飛ぶとやがて雪になるともいい伝えられている。東京では〈オオワタ〉とか〈シーラッコ〉と呼び，京都では〈白子屋お駒はん〉，大和その他で〈シロコババ〉，伊勢で〈オナツコジョロ〉，伊豆で〈シロバンバ〉，水戸で〈オユキコジョロ〉などの方言で呼ばれ，子どもたちがこの虫を追いかけて遊んだ。アブラムシ類の中でとくにワタアブラ亜科の仲間には白蠟物質を分泌する腺が多数あって，多く分泌されると体全体が白い綿で包まれたようになる種類の総称で，主としてワタアブラ属Eriosoma，ハマキアブラ属Prociphilus，ヨスジワタアブラ属Tetraneura，ゴバイシアブラ属Schlechtendaliaなどが，秋の寄主植物を離れて冬寄主へ移る移住飛翔（ひしよう）の際に目だちやすいので，江戸時代以降子どもの遊びの対象となったが，これを追って遊ぶことはしだいに忘れられていくようである。…

※「オオワタ」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について | 情報

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