Wood beetle (wood-eating insect) - Limnoria lignorum

Japanese: キクイムシ(木喰虫) - キクイムシ（英語表記）Limnoria lignorum

A small crustacean about 3mm long that digs tunnels into wood placed naturally or artificially in the sea, living there and feeding on it. Order: Isopoda, Family: Scolytidae. Its body is semi-cylindrical and yellowish-white with small black spots scattered on its back. It is found worldwide and is common along the coast of Japan. There are many known species of Scolytidae, most of which are widely distributed and all feed on plant matter such as wood and seaweed placed in the sea. [Gamo Shigeo]

Bark beetle (wood-eating insect)

A general term for insects belonging to the family Scolytidae in the order Scolytidae. Approximately 7,000 species are known from around the world, and approximately 300 from Japan, but many of them are notorious pests because both adults and larvae bore holes into plant tissue. The adult body is generally black or brown and cylindrical, and many species are tiny, measuring 1 to 5 mm in length. The antennae end in an egg shape (a bulb). The larvae are white and cylindrical, lacking thoracic legs and a tail protrusion, and resemble those of the Curculionidae family. Each species of Scolytidae parasitizes specific plants, and the feeding marks (mother holes and larval holes) made by the adults (also called mother beetles) under the bark or in wood have a certain shape depending on the species, so the species can be identified by the feeding marks.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

海中に自然に，あるいは人工的に置かれた木材に穿孔（せんこう），孔道を掘り，その中にすみ，食害し続ける体長3mm前後の小型甲殻類。等脚目キクイムシ科。体は半円筒形で黄白色，背面に小黒点が散在する。世界的な分布を示し，日本沿岸にもふつうである。キクイムシ科には多くの種類が知られているが，その多くは広い分布を示し，すべて海中に置かれた木材や海藻など植物性のものを食べている。【蒲生重男】

キクイムシ【キクイムシ(木喰虫) bark beetle】

甲虫目キクイムシ科Scolytidaeに属する昆虫の総称。世界から約7000種，日本から約300種が知られるが，成虫，幼虫とも植物体に穿孔（せんこう）するため著名な害虫が少なくない。成虫の体は一般に黒色や褐色の円筒形で，体長1～5mmの微小な種が多い。触角は先が卵形(球稈（きゆうかん）)となる。幼虫は白色円筒形で胸脚や尾突起を欠き，ゾウムシ科の幼虫に似る。キクイムシ科は種類によってそれぞれ特定の寄生する植物があり，しかも成虫(母虫ともいう)と幼虫が樹皮下や材中につくる食痕(母虫孔と幼虫孔)が種類によって一定の形をしていることから，食痕によって種類が判定できる。

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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