Armyworm moth (Mamestra brassicae)

Japanese: ヨトウガ(夜盗蛾) - ヨトウガ（英語表記）Mamestra brassicae

An insect of the Lepidoptera, Noctuidae family (illustration). The larvae are called cutworms because they have the habit of damaging crops, flowers, etc. at night, and are well-known as pests of crops and gardening. They are rarely seen during the day, hiding on the surface of the ground near the roots. Adults span about 4cm and are dark gray-brown in colour. They are widely distributed across the Eurasian continent, and are quite common on the Japanese mainland. They emerge several times a year and overwinter as pupae. In addition to this species, there are many other noctuid moths that end in the name cutworm, and each has a different lifestyle. [Sugi Shigeo]

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

鱗翅目ヤガ科の昆虫（イラスト）。幼虫は夜間に作物，草花などに加害する習性があるのでヨトウムシと呼ばれ，作物や園芸の害虫として有名である。昼間は根ぎわの地表部に潜んでいるので姿を見ることは少ない。成虫は開張約4cm，暗い灰褐色。ユーラシア大陸に広く分布し，日本でも本土にはごくふつうに産する。年数回発生してさなぎで越冬する。本種のほかにも語尾にヨトウの名をもつヤガは多数あり，それぞれ異なる生活をもつ。【杉繁郎】

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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