Thu 2 Jun 2011
Lepidoptera: Crambidae (grass moths)
Talanga quadrimaculalis = yotsuboshi-no-meiga
Location: Wooded area next to Munakata Common (Google map)
Thu 2 Jun 2011
Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae:
Cryptocephalus perelegans = kiboshi-tsutsuhamushi
Location: Wooded area next to Munakata Common (Google map)
Wed 4 May 2011
It was great to go out for a nature walk today — I’ve been too busy recently. It was only in my local area and just for a couple of hours. The highlight was finding a new (to me) species of longhorn beetle. It’s a small species (5mm) so I was pretty lucky to spot this pair on a branch in the forest.
Coleoptera: Cerambycidae:
Lemula decipiens = kibane-nise-hamushi-hana-kamikiri
Location: “Cow Valley” near Fureiai no Mori (Google map)
Thu 15 Jul 2010
Magnificent!! This is the largest species of dragonfly in Japan and, at 10cm long, it’s an impressive sight. This one was zooming around a clearing and it flew just above my head several times before settling on a remarkably convenient perch — convenient enough for me to sneak up and take lots of photos. I was amazed at how tolerant he was of me and I managed to get within about 50cm before he flew away. A few fly-bys later he settled back on the exact same plant so I took even more photos. I loved the way he cleaned his big green eyes with his forelegs — he’s got to keep his eyes clean to hunt on the wing.
Odonata: Cordulegastridae
Anotogaster sieboldii
golden-ringed dragonfly = oni-yanma
Location: Yokoyama Village near Munakata Common (Google map link)
Thu 15 Jul 2010
What a cute and unusual thing to find — a natural smiley in the forest!! I couldn’t decide what it was at first as it was only about 8mm across. I was just thinking it might be a young snail when it suddenly dropped off the leaf on a silk thread. Oh, a spider!! It’s a kind of orb-weaver spider and its Japanese name means that it looks like a bird dropping. It should be called the Smiley Spider instead.
Arachnida: Araneidae
Cyrtarachne inaequalis
orb-weaver spider (lit. “bird dropping spider”) = oo-tori-no-fun-damashi
Location: Yokoyama Village near Munakata Common (Google map link)
Thu 15 Jul 2010
I often see these big black and white weevils hanging onto leaves like a cross between a koala and a (very small) panda! They walk very deliberately and drop off the leaf when disturbed. I think they are among my favourites.
Coleoptera: Curculionidae (weevils)
Mesalcidodes trifidus
Weevil = ojiro-ashi-naga-zoumushi
Location: Yokoyama Village near Munakata Common (Google map link)
Thu 15 Jul 2010
I think somebody has made a bit of a mistake here! Take a closer look…
Coleoptera: Curculionidae (weevils)
Mesalcidodes trifidus
Weevil = ojiro-ashi-naga-zoumushi
Location: Yokoyama Village near Munakata Common (Google map link)
Thu 15 Jul 2010
It’s remarkable how these Japanese beetles skeletonize leaves — they’re little artists really!!
Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae (Shining Leaf Chafers)
Popillia japonica
Japanese beetle = mame-kogane
Location: Yokoyama Village near Munakata Common (Google map link)
Thu 15 Jul 2010
These huge katydids (bush-crickets) are everywhere at the moment. They sit perfectly camouflaged on leaves and then half jump, half crawl into the foliage making so much disturbance that it’s like a much larger animal is lurking there. Once you get used to spotting them before they disappear, it’s possible to sneak up and take photos.
Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae
Gampsocleis buergeri
Japanese katydid = kiri-girisu
Location: Yokoyama Village near Munakata Common (Google map link)
Thu 15 Jul 2010
Such a beautiful weevil… but my photos are very poor. The evening was setting in and I was among trees and the weevil was only 3mm long… If I find one again, I will catch it and take the photo in a well-lit place to show off the metallic gold and green.
Coleoptera: Curculionidae (weevils)
Euops splendidus
Weevil = kashi-ruri-otoshibumi
Location: Yokoyama Village near Munakata Common (Google map link)
