Meloimorpha japonica

Meloimorpha japonica,[1] also known as Suzumushi (鈴虫, bell cricket) and bell-ring cricket is a species of cricket, widespread in Asia (from India, through Indochina to Japan). It is known particularly for its chiming song in Japan, where they are often kept as pets.

This article is about the cricket. For the sword of Tōsen in the manga series Bleach, see Kaname Tōsen.

Meloimorpha japonica
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Orthoptera
Suborder: Ensifera
Family: Phalangopsidae
Subfamily: Cachoplistinae
Tribe: Homoeogryllini
Genus: Meloimorpha
Species:
M. japonica
Binomial name
Meloimorpha japonica
(Haan, 1844)
Synonyms

Meloimorpha japonicus De Haan, 1842

Description

They are commonly 17-25mm long and its wings are wide with a "melon seed" shape. They are found in Hokkaido (though not natively), Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu.[2]

Subspecies

The Orthoptera Species File lists two subspecies:

  • M. japonica japonica (Haan, 1844)
  • M. japonica yunnanensis (Yin, 1998) - from southern China and Vietnam.

In Japanese literature

M. japonica is an autumn kigo used in haiku. 'Suzumushi' is also the title of chapter 38 of The Tale of Genji, authored by Murasaki Shikibu. For unknown reasons, it is the only chapter skipped in Arthur Waley's translation of the book.

Suzumushi are kept as pets by Chieko Sada, the main character of Kawabata's novel The Old Capital and are mentioned several times.

References
  1. Haan W de (1844) in Temminck [Ed.] Verhandelingen over de Natuurlijke Geschiedenis der Nederlansche Overzeesche Bezittingen 24: 236.
  2. 福井の生き物情報 スズムシ 福井県、2017年2月6日閲覧。
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.