Monthly Archives: October 2004

Leaf beetle

Posted on October 24, 2004 by Nigel

This species is very common. It eats the leaves of wild plants such as gourds (uri), but also attacks commercial crops (e.g. soybeans and carnations). Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae (leaf beetles) Aulacophora nigripennis = kuro-uri-hamushi

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Japanese Pit Viper

Posted on October 23, 2004 by Nigel

It’s a pity that this beautiful Japanese pit viper (mamushi) had been run over. It was on the path next to the road and it looked like a bicycle tyre had clipped its head. Luckily the snake was in a … Continue reading →

Posted in Reptiles | 2 Comments

Chlaenius micans

Posted on October 23, 2004 by Nigel

Coleoptera: Carabidae Chlaenius micans = oo-atoboshi-ao-gomimushi

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Galerita orientalis

Posted on October 23, 2004 by Nigel

Coleoptera: Carabidae Galerita orientalis = kubi-boso-gomimushi Location: Tagawa

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Camphor tree

Posted on October 16, 2004 by Nigel

This tree is about 800 meters from our home and I recently found out that it is the biggest camphor tree in the Munakata area. It’s nice to have a giant in our neighborhood! Apparently it is around 27m tall, … Continue reading →

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Burrowing Cockroaches

Posted on October 15, 2004 by Nigel

I’ve found several of these burrowing cockroaches in the past couple of weeks. They live in the forest and seem to especially like woodpiles. My daughter, Aya, and I both enjoyed holding and playing with the big black roaches, much … Continue reading →

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Mukade Centipede

Posted on October 15, 2004 by Nigel

It’s much better to encounter these huge centipedes (mukade) outdoors than inside the house! They are amazing creatures and I love watching the way their legs move in waves, but inside the house there is always the fear that I’m … Continue reading →

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Stupid or brave?

Posted on October 15, 2004 by Nigel

This was one brave (or immensely stupid) fly! It just flew in and rested on the praying mantid’s wicked-looking foreleg. Well, I guess it was probably too small to even be noticed by the mantis, so it probably wasn’t ever … Continue reading →

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Japanese grass lizard

Posted on October 11, 2004 by Nigel

We have so many lizards in our garden and we all enjoy watching them basking in the sun or stalking insects and spiders. It takes patience to sneak up on the adults to take photos but they are very photogenic … Continue reading →

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Smokey Brown Cockroach

Posted on October 11, 2004 by Nigel

Smokey brown cockroaches (kurogokiburi) are said to prefer living outdoors, but we sometimes get them in our house. They are scavengers and will eat almost anything but normally feed on plant material. Fast moving and quite large (3cm) with spiky … Continue reading →

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