Satsuma Nishiki (Erasmia pulchella)

Japanese: サツマニシキ(薩摩錦) - サツマニシキ（英語表記）Erasmia pulchella

An insect of the Zygaenidae family of the Lepidoptera order. Its wingspan is 7-8cm. It is a large, beautiful moth with shiny lilac wings and a red band on its forewings. It is a day-flying moth, and when caught, it secretes a foul-smelling body fluid from its thorax, which protects it from attacks by birds and other insectivorous mammals. The larvae parasitize on the Japanese lily, but like the adults, they have a body fluid that birds and animals dislike. It is a moth found in warm climates, distributed from the Kii Peninsula of Honshu southward. Those in Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu have narrow white areas on the hind wings and are the darkest overall, while those in Okinawa Island have enlarged white areas, and those in Yakushima and Tanegashima have intermediate colors.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

鱗翅目マダラガ科の昆虫。翅の開張7～8cm。翅がるり色に輝き，前翅に赤色帯のある美しい大型のガ。昼飛性で，つかまえると胸部から悪臭のある体液を出すため，鳥その他虫食性の哺乳類の攻撃から身の安全を守ることができる。幼虫はヤマモガシに寄生するが，成虫と同じように鳥獣のきらう体液をもっている。温暖地のガで，本州の紀伊半島から南に分布する。本州，四国，九州のものは後翅の白色部が狭く，全体としてもっとも暗い色をし，沖縄本島のものは白色部が拡大され，屋久島と種子島のものはその中間的な色彩を示す。

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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