Gomashijimi (English name) scar large blue

A butterfly belonging to the order Lepidoptera and family Lycaenidae of the class Insecta. In Japan, it is found in Hokkaido, Honshu, and Kyushu, but not in Shikoku. In Honshu, it occurs in mountain grasslands, but its distribution is localized, and in Kyushu, it occurs in the central mountainous areas of Mt. Aso and Mt. Kuju, as well as in the volcanic grasslands around Mt. Yufu. Overseas, it is widely distributed from Europe to northern East Asia and the northern part of the Eurasian continent. It is large for a species of the subfamily Lycaenidae and subfamily Lycaenidae, with a wing span of about 40 mm. The surface of the wings varies widely, from completely black-brown to those with various degrees of blue scales. The underside is gray-white to gray-brown, with sesame-shaped black spots scattered on it. It appears once a year, from July to September. Its life cycle is extremely unique: the mother butterfly lays eggs on the inflorescences of the burnet family, and the larvae grow by feeding on the fruits until they reach the fourth stage, at which point they descend to the ground, are carried by comb ants, and enter their nests, where they grow by feeding on the ant larvae and eggs. They overwinter as larvae.

[Takashi Shiramizu]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

昆虫綱鱗翅(りんし)目シジミチョウ科に属するチョウ。日本では、北海道、本州、九州に分布、四国には産しない。本州では山間の草地に発生し、その分布は局部的、九州では阿蘇(あそ)山や九重(くじゅう)山の中部山岳地帯および由布(ゆふ)岳一帯の火山性草原に産する。外国ではヨーロッパより東アジアの北部にわたりユーラシア大陸の北部に広く分布する。シジミチョウ科ヒメシジミ亜科の種としては大形で、はねの開張は40ミリメートル内外。はねの表面は全面黒褐色を呈するものから、いろいろな程度に青色鱗を現すものまで変化が多い。裏面は灰白色ないし灰褐色で、ゴマ状の黒点を散布する。年1回の発生で、7～9月に出現する。その生活史はきわめて特異で、母チョウはワレモコウ類の花穂に産卵、幼虫は4齢まで実を食べて育つが、4齢になると地上に降り、クシケアリに運ばれてその巣に入り、巣の中でアリの幼虫や卵を食べて育つ。越冬態は幼虫である。

［白水　隆］

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