Monthly Archives: April 2008

Bumblebee

Posted on April 29, 2008 by Nigel

This huge bumblebee (toramaru-hanabachi) was flying around taking nectar and pollen from dead nettles. I’m very happy with the shot of the bumblebee in flight. Interesting site: UK Natural History Museum “Bombus Project” Bumblebees of the world Hymenoptera: Apidae Bombus … Continue reading →

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Spiky Leaf Beetle No.2

Posted on April 29, 2008 by Nigel

I’d never seen a spiky leaf beetle before, and then today I found two different species! This one is Dactylispa issikii and the other is Dactylispa subquadrata (here). Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae Dactylispa issikii spiky leaf beetle = take-toge-hamushi Location: In orchards … Continue reading →

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Spiky Leaf Beetle No.1

Posted on April 29, 2008 by Nigel

I’d never seen a spiky leaf beetle before, and then today I found two different species! This one is Dactylispa subquadrata and the other is Dactylispa issikii (here). Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae Dactylispa subquadrata spiky leaf beetle = katabiro-toge-hamushi Location: In orchards … Continue reading →

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Cantharid Beetle

Posted on April 29, 2008 by Nigel

This species seems to be quite distinctive, but there are several similar species. I need to look again. Coleoptera: Cantharidae Athemus species Japanese = joukai

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Leaf Weevil

Posted on April 29, 2008 by Nigel

I thought that this metallic green weevil would be easy to identify, but there are several similar species in the genus Phyllobius, and other people’s photos on Internet seem to be confused. I’ll try to identify it again another time. … Continue reading →

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Gourd Leaf Beetle

Posted on April 29, 2008 by Nigel

The Japanese name for this beetle is “Uri” (gourd) Leaf Beetle because of the shape. Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae Aulacophora indica “Uri” (gourd) Leaf Beetle = uri-hamushi Location: In orchards and bamboo/pine forest above Yokoyama Village (Google map)

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First mosquito bite in 2008

Posted on April 29, 2008 by Nigel

I managed to get bitten by a couple of mosquitoes today, and was proud to capture a photo of the first one without killing it. How kind! I’m sure that the novelty of being bitten will wear off soon and … Continue reading →

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Verdalia Beetle

Posted on April 29, 2008 by Nigel

The Verdalia Beetle (Rodolia cardinalis) is a very special ladybird, originally from Australia. It is famous as the first (or most) successful biological control agent, having saved the Californian citrus industry in the late 1880s from devastation by the cottony … Continue reading →

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14-spotted Ladybird

Posted on April 29, 2008 by Nigel

This species of ladybird comes in a wide variety of patterns. Its two most popular common names are 14-spotted ladybird and cream-spotted ladybird (UK), but these are not suited to the variety that I found! It has 12 black spots … Continue reading →

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Leaf-rolling Weevil

Posted on April 27, 2008 by Nigel

I found many of these leaf-rolling weevils (hime-kuro-otoshibumi) today – mainly on young sweet chestnut leaves. The female beetle lays an egg on a leaf and then rolls it up to provide protection and a food source for the grub. … Continue reading →

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