Epipomponia nawai (parasitic moth)

Japanese: セミヤドリガ(蟬寄生蛾) - セミヤドリガ（英語表記）Epipomponia nawai

An insect of the Lepidoptera order, family Parasitidae. Wings span about 2.5cm. Both the body and wings are light black, and the forewings have numerous shiny blue band-like patterns. The antennae are short and feathery. The larvae live as external parasites on the abdomens of the common cicada, the Minmin cicada, the Brown cicada, and the Tsukutsukuhoushi cicada, sucking their body fluids. As the adult cicada's life span is short, this moth also grows rapidly, and just before the cicada dies, the mature larvae leave the cicada's body and make white cocoons on tree trunks or leaves, from which they emerge in about two weeks. Both the mature larvae and the cocoons are covered in white wax.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

鱗翅目セミヤドリガ科の昆虫。翅の開張2.5cm内外。体翅とも薄黒く，前翅には青色光沢のある帯状の斑紋が無数にある。触角は短く，羽毛状。幼虫はヒグラシ，ミンミンゼミ，アブラゼミ，ツクツクホウシの腹部に外寄生し，体液を吸う。セミの成虫の寿命が短いので，このガも急速に成長し，セミの死ぬ直前に老熟した幼虫は，セミの体から離れ，樹幹や葉上で白い繭をつくり，約2週間で羽化する。老熟幼虫も繭も白蠟で覆われている。

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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