Ogasawara cicada - Ogasawara cicada

A species of insect belonging to the order Hemiptera, suborder Homoptera, family Cicadidae. It is a species that resembles an enlarged version of a cicada, with a body length of about 33 mm. The dorsal part of the thorax has a greenish-brown pattern on a black background. The male's abdominal valve is oval. It is endemic to the Ogasawara Islands (Chichijima Islands and Hahajima Islands), and was designated a national natural monument in 1970 (Showa 45). It appears from May to December, and is particularly common in forests near human settlements. Its morphology and ecology are very similar to the black-spotted cicada, which is widely distributed in the Ryukyu Islands, and there is a theory that it was artificially introduced from the Ryukyu Islands.

[Masami Hayashi]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

昆虫綱半翅(はんし)目同翅亜目セミ科Cicadidaeに属する昆虫の一種。ツクツクボウシを大きくしたような種で、体長33ミリメートル内外。胸部背面は黒色の地に緑褐色紋がある。雄の腹弁は長円形。小笠原(おがさわら)諸島（父島列島、母島列島）特産で、1970年（昭和45）に国の天然記念物に指定された。5～12月に出現し、人家付近の林にとくに多い。琉球(りゅうきゅう)諸島に広く分布するクロイワツクツクに形態および生態がきわめてよく似ており、琉球諸島からの人為的移入説もある。

［林　正美］

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