Gypsy moth (English spelling)

Japanese: マイマイガ(舞々蛾) - マイマイガ（英語表記）gypsy moth

An insect of the Lepidoptera family, Lymantriidae (illustration). Wing span is 4-5.5cm for males and 6-8cm for females. Males are black-brown, females very light gray-brown. Not only are there individual variations in color and size, but there are also significant geographical variations. Distributed from Europe through Siberia and China to Japan, and European species were introduced to North America over 100 years ago and have since spread throughout the country. Generally, those found in Hokkaido are small and light-colored, while those in Shikoku, southern Kyushu, and the Nansei Islands are more whitish. They emerge once a year, with adults appearing in the summer.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

鱗翅目ドクガ科の昆虫（イラスト）。翅の開張は雄4～5.5cm，雌6～8cm。雄は黒褐色，雌はごく薄い灰褐色。色彩や大きさには個体変異があるばかりでなく，地理的な変化も著しい。ヨーロッパからシベリア，中国を経て日本全国に分布し，北アメリカには今から100年以上前にヨーロッパ産が移入され，全土に広がっている。一般に北海道産は小型で淡色，四国，九州の南部から南西諸島のものは白みが強い。年1回の発生で，成虫は夏に出る。

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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