thirty-foot telescopic nets, bug-collecting video games ... · insect collecting and rearing...

160 AmericanEntomologist•Fall 2007

Thirty-foot telescopic nets, bug-collecting video games, and beetle pets: Entomology in modern Japan

As American entomologists, we are oftenunawareofhowinsectsareintegratedintoothercultures.InAsia,insectsfirstappeared

on traditionalChineseandJapaneseornamentalartworkdatingbefore600A.D.(Crambfrot,1994).During the Meiji period (1868-1912), mushiya,or insect shops, sold collecting equipment andsinginginsectsincages(Laurent,2001).Althoughtherearenolongerinsectshopsthatspecializeinsinginginsects,insectsarestillintegratedintothebustling metropolises of modern Japan—charis-maticinsectsregularlyappearoncandywrappersandchildren’s toysandare thecentral theme to

“Bug museums, bug zoos, bug exhibits in department stores, street-corner vendors selling crawling, flying and creeping creatures. Much of Japan may have been paved over, but the Japanese retain a special fondness in their hearts for the insects ...” (Hiatt and Shapiro, 1988: A29).

manypopularvideogames. In fact, themodernmarketforinsectsandentomologicalaccessoriesin Japan has annual sales of tens of millions ofdollars(Kristof,1999).

Thepurposeofthispaperistoprovideanover-viewofhowinsectsareintegratedintoJapaneseculture today. The paper is organized into foursections, each of which focuses on a key issuepertainingtoinsectsinmodernJapaneseculture:1)Japanesechildrenandentomologicaleducation;2) entomological supply stores and the uniqueequipmentusedbyJapaneseentomologists;3)theplethora of insect collectors and personal insectcollectionsinJapan;and4)therecentpopularityofbreedingandsellinglivebeetles.Thispaperisnotaboutinstitutionalresearch,butthelargeJapanesepopulationofinsecthobbyists,enthusiasts,andtheculturethatsurroundsthem.

Japanese children and insectsJapanesechildrengenerallylearnaboutinsects

from reading, taking science class, watchingeducationaltelevision,playingvideogames,orbydirectlyobservingliveinsects.Educationfocusesparticularlyonthelifehistoryofcharismaticin-sectssuchasbutterflies,cicadas,andlargebeetles.Youngboysespeciallydevelopalikingforhornedrhinoceros and stag beetles, and these beetlesareoften reared fromgrubsandkeptaspets intheirhomes.Childreninthesuburbscanstillfindmany large beetles in their natural habitat, andarefrequentlyseeninthesummercarryinginsectnetsinparks(Fig.1).However,Japanesekidsinurbanareasmustfindanalternativeforobtainingbeetles,asmanyonce-familiarinsectshavebecomeincreasinglyrare.

Fig. 1. Japanese children collecting insects in a city park in the summer.


Akito Y. Kawahara

“Bug museums, bug zoos, bug exhibits in department stores, street-corner vendors selling crawling, flying and creeping creatures. Much of Japan may have been paved over, but the Japanese retain a special fondness in their hearts for the insects ...” (Hiatt and Shapiro, 1988: A29).

161AmericanEntomologist•Volume 53, Number 3


Inordertosupportthegrowingneedforbeetles,someJapanesecompanieshavesoldlivebeetlesinvending machines (May, 1999). Live beetles arealsoaccessibletochildrenthroughbeetlepettingzoos (Fig. 2) and beetle conservation programs.In response to the declining population of stagbeetles,aparkinYokohamadevelopedaconserva-tion-driven“StagBeetleFosterParentProgram”inwhichachildcouldtakeapairoflucanidstohishomeoverthesummer.Attheendofthesummer,

the child would bringbackeggsproducedbythe pair, and the eggswould be returned tothepark.Theprogramwasapparentlysopopularthattheparkhadtoholdalotterytochoosethechildrenwhowouldfosterbeetles(HiattandShapiro,1988).NotonlydoesthisprogramhelprestorethedecliningpopulationoflucanidsinYokohama,butitalsohelpseducate

children about beetles and theirconservation.

Live charismatic beetlescan also be acquired fromJapanese department stores.Part of the pet section in aJapanese department store isconverted during the summerintoan“insectcorner”wheredifferentspeciesofbeetlesaresoldincages,alongwithbasicinsect collecting and rearingequipment, general entomol-ogy books, and plastic cages(Fig.3).Thesebeetlesaresoldaspets,andtheyaredisplayedalongside cat toys, dog food,and goldfish. A male of thelarge, horned Japanese rhi-nocerosbeetle,Allomyrina di-


Akito Y. Kawahara

Fig. 2. A beetle “petting zoo” in Shizuoka, Japan. Children can pick up and play with live scarab beetles.

Fig. 3. The “insect corner”

of a department store, where basic

collecting and rearing equipment

are sold.


chotomaL.(Fig.4;commonlyknownas“Kabuto-mushi”inJapanese)typicallycosts¥400– ¥800 (approximately $3.50–$7.50),whileafemale,with-outhorns,ischeaper.Depart-mentstoresalsofrequentlyselllive adults of Meloimorpha japonica(deHaan),acricket-likeorthopterancalled“Suzu-mushi,” males of which pro-duce a beautiful musical call.SoldalongsideSuzu-mushiarebagsofsandandsmallwood-en “cricket chewing blocks”developed for these singingpets. As a child growing upin Tokyo, I frequently wentstraightafterschooltothepetsectionofanearbydepartmentstoretowatchliveinsectsandreadabout them in children’sbooks.

Very few Japanese booksthat include insects portray

themnegatively—mostarewritten to teachkidsinsectfacts,andmanyentomologicalbooksfocusoninterestingfeaturesofinsects.Manyeducationalbooks for children are “zukan,” or “illustratedguides,” each on a particular subject, and typi-callypartofa larger series (Fig.5).Eachzukanislikeanencyclopediaonadifferentsubject:onevolumemaybeoninsects,anotherontrains.Zu-kanarefilledwithphotographsandillustrations,and children’s zukan frequently include cartooncharacters to help illustrate particular concepts.Children’s entomological zukan are typically ondomesticJapaneseinsects.Oneofthemostpopularchildren’szukanseries is theShogakukanseries,whichhas several volumeson entomology (e.g.,Insect Zukan(Koike et al.,2002),Scarab and Stag

Beetles (Koike et al.,2006),Butterflies of Japan(Nakayama and Umino, 1985)). There are alsozukanonthelifehistoryofafamiliarinsectsuchasacommonbutterfly(e.g.,CabbageButterfly,Pieris rapae),orrarespeciessuchasSasakia charonda (Hewitson), for the advanced reader. Nearly allentomologicalchildren’szukan includeasectionwhichhelpsteachthemhowtocollectinsectsandmakean insect collection. Inaddition tozukan,insectsalsoplayacentralroleinmanychildren’sstorybooks,similar totheAmericanclassic,The Very Hungry Caterpillar(Carle,1981).Inabook-storeinTokyo,Irecentlycountedtwelvedifferentstorybooksoninsectsforchildren.Boysareoftenfound in theentomology sectionofabookstorefranticallyreadingaboutinsects(Fig.6).

Therearealsochildren’sbooksthataretrans-lated into Japanese directly from old Victorianentomological literature. The most popular ofsuch books is the ten-volume series written byJean-Henri Fabre (1823-1915), the autodidacticFrenchentomologistwhoisfamousforhisobser-vationson insectbehavior.Theseries,Souvenirs Entomologiques (Fabre, [1879-1907]) has beentranslated by multiple Japanese publishers andisavailableforbothchildrenandadults.Fabre’sbookshavebecomesopopularthatinthesummerof2005,the7-Elevenconveniencestorechaingaveaway plastic renditions of various insects thatFabrestudiedasapromotiontohelpboostsales(http://www.sej.co.jp/campaign/fabre.html). Theeightreplicasincludedadungbeetle,Scarabaeus typhoon(Fischer-Waldheim)rollingalargepieceofdung;acarabid,Carabus auratus (L.) capturingasnail;andasphecidwasp,Podalonia hirsuta (Sco-poli)huntingacaterpillar(Fig.7).Theserenditionsweregiventoanycustomerwhoboughtselectedbottleddrinks.Canyou image thereactionofa7-ElevencustomerintheUnitedStatesifgivenaballofplasticdungwithabeetlefigurineasagiftforpurchasingabottleofCoke?

TherearealsofestivalsinJapanwhichpromoteinsecteducation.Oneofthemostpopularfestivalsduringthesummeris“hotaru-matsuri,”thefireflyfestival.Thehotaru-matsuritakesplaceduringJune

Fig. 4. Male “Kabuto-mushi,” the common Japanese rhinoceros beetle, Allomyrina dichotoma L.

Fig. 5. Children’s zukan in a bookstore in Tokyo. Many zukan are on insects, and each volume is usually part of a larger series.

Fig. 6. Young boys reading about insects in the entomology section of a bookstore.


andearlyJulyinmanycitiesandtownsthroughoutJapan,andusuallydrawsalargecrowdeagertoseefireflies. Festivals areheld at night, typicallyinalocalcityparkwherethereisastream.Manylocalvendorsparticipateinthesefestivalsandsellfood,insecttoys,andsmallcagescontaininglivefireflies.Thereisusuallyatrailalongsideastreamwherefirefliesflyfreely,andvisitorscanreadaboutlifehistoriesofdifferentspeciesonpamphletsandboardspostedalongthetrail.Inadditiontofireflyfestivals, Japanesechildrencanalsoobserve liveinsectsinthemanybeetleandbutterflyhousesorlearnaboutinsectsontelevision.

ThemainJapanesetelevisionstation,NipponHosoKyoku(NHK),hasasubsidiarycalled“Kyo-ikuTerebi” (or“EducationalTelevision”),whichbroadcastschildren’seducationalprogramsduringweekdaymornings.Eachoftheseshowsistypicallyafifteen-minuteprogramhostedbyananimatedmascotandayoungstudent.Japaneseelementaryschoolclassrooms typicallyhavea television forviewing these short programs. Topics for theseshowsrangefrombiologytoeconomics,andclassesareusuallyscheduledtocoincidewithaparticularsubject’s broadcast. There are several programsonorganismalbiologyinwhichadifferenttopicisdiscussedeachweek.EpisodesfrequentlycoverthelifehistoryofafamiliarJapaneseinsect,suchas the Cabbage Butterfly (Pieris rapae L.), OilCicada (Graptopsaltria nigrofuscata [Motschul-sky]),orWhite-spottedAsianLonghornedBeetle(Anoplophora malasiaca [Thomson]).

A typical grade school classroom has a cagecontainingamphibians,crustaceans,fish,orinsects.Studentsworkingroupsandtaketurnscaringfortheseanimals.Pieris rapae caterpillarsarefedcab-

bageleaves,whilebeetlegrubsanddirtaresprayedwithwateronadailybasis.Sincetheselarvaeareusuallycollectedoutdoors, theyareoccasionallyparasitized. Students learn about predation andparasitism through direct observation at a veryyoungage.

InJapan,documentariesoninsectsarenotonlytelevisedoncablechannelsequivalenttoTheDis-coveryChannelorAnimalPlanet,butregularlyonstandardchannels.Populartelevisionquizshowsfrequently include questions pertaining to ento-mology, and manga cartoonsand animation films oftenfeatureinsectthemes.Japaneseanimationscontaining insectshaveevenreachedtheUnitedStates—Pokemon’s Caterpie,for example, was influencedbythelifecycleofabutterfly.Hefirstresemblesacaterpillarand then becomes Metapod(a pupa-like character) be-fore becoming Butterfree, afigure resembling a butterfly.AnimationfilmssuchasHayaoMiyazaki’s Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind(Miyazaki,1984),andPrincess Mononoke(Miyazaki, 1997) also in-cludemanyinsectconservation

Fig. 7. Four of the eight entomological toys given away by 7-Eleven during the summer of 2005. Jean H. Fabre’s classical entomological research was chosen as the theme in order to boost sales of bottled soft drinks.

Fig.8. Beetle stickers sold in a toy store in Tokyo. “Kuwagata” and “Kabuto” refer to stag beetles and rhinoceros beetles, respectively.

Fig. 9. A talking stuffed beetle hat. The image in the upper right corner of the package shows how the hat should be worn.

Fig. 10. A scarab and lucanid party costume. The image on the package shows how the costume could be worn to fight others wearing beetle costumes.


themes,andhavereceivedglobalattentionastopenvironmentalanimationfilms.

InsectsalsofrequentlyappearonJapa-nesechildren’stoys,costumes,andchildren’ssnacks.Toystoresoftenhaveasectiononbeetleparaphernaliasuchasbeetlepuzzles,and stickers (Fig.8), and sometimes evenselltalkingstuffedbeetlehatsforkids(Fig.9),andinflatablescarabandlucanidpartycostumes(Fig.10).Somechildren’scandiescomewithafreeplasticbeetle,andthereisevenaJapanesecandycalled“Mogi-Mogi-Kontyu-Saishu,”whichtranslatesas“Mogi-Mogi-Insect-Collecting.” The wrapper ofthiscandyshowsachildcollectinginsects(Fig. 11). There is a psychid (bagworm)mothlarvaatthetopofthecandywrapper!CanyouimagineabagwormlarvapicturedonawrapperofSkittlesorM&M’s?

WhilewarandcombatvideogamesarepopularintheUnitedStates,therehasbeena recent surge in video games involvinginsectsinJapan.Surprisingly,thesegamesarenotaboutexterminatinggiantbug-likealienmonsters,butinstead,mostareaboutbattlesbetweenrealbeetlespecies,breedingthem,ormakinganinsectcollection.OneofthecurrentpopularJapanesechildren’svideogamesis“KontyuOujaMushiKingu”(translated as “King of Coleoptera: BugKing”), first distributed by Sega in 2003(http://mushiking.com).

Mushi-KingissimilartoStreetFighter®orMortalCombat®inthatitinvolvestwocharacters that fight. However, the gamediffers in that all characters are beetles.Eachbeetleresemblesarealbeetlespecies,and iscapableofparticularbattlemoves.

Forinstance,Grant’sRhinocerosBeetle,Dynastes granti Horn, found in the Southwestern UnitedStates, is olive-brown with black spots and canhavespecialmovessuchas“dragonattack,”“tor-nadothrow,”and“bulllock.”Theplayerfightsadifferentbeetleenemyduringeachleveluntilhisbeetlelosesabattle.

Duetoitspopularityamongchildren,thegamecan be purchased for Gameboy Advance®, hasbeenmadeintoananimationfilm,andMushi-KingtournamentsareheldatarcadesthroughoutJapan.Mushi-King popularity is growing so rapidly inAsiathatSegahasmadePhilippine,Sin-gaporean, and Taiwanesearcade versions of thesoftware (http://web-japan.org/kidsweb/cool.

html). In the arcade version (Fig. 12), a carddepictingaparticularlucanidorrhinocerosbeetle(Fig.13)comesoutofaslotoncea¥100coinisinsertedintothemachine.Agamemodeischosen,andthegamebeginswhentheplayerswipeshisbar-codedcardinthecard-reader.Inadditiontobeetlecards,therearealsoskillcards,whichwhenusedincombinationwithabeetlecardwillallowthebeetle toperformadvancedmoves. In total,thereare856differentbeetleandskillcards.Eachbeetlecardincludesthespecies’scientificnameandan explanation of its approximate size, habitat,anddistribution.

Intwoyearssincebecomingavailable,256mil-lioncolorfulMushi-Kingbeetletradingcardsweresold(Wallace,2005).Accordingtothevideogamemagazine Famitsu (http://www.famitsu.com/),Mushi-King was the best selling videogame forGameBoyAdvanceinJune2005,selling220,000copies inonemonth.Mushi-KingparaphernaliasuchasstuffedanimalbeetlesandkeychainsareregularlysoldinJapanesearcades.Thevideogame

Fig. 11. The “Mogi-Mogi-Kontyu-Saishu” candy. The candy wrapper shows a child collecting insects. Note the bagworm larva on the top.

Fig. 12. Mushi-King arcade videogame machines. Photograph taken in a department store in Yokohama.

Fig. 13. Mushi-king

playing cards. The full set

includes over 800 species and

skill cards.


wassopopularthat it inspiredthe internationalcommuterairline,JapanAirlines,todecorateoneofitsplaneswithillustrationsofsomeofMushi-King’smaincharacters.

Therearealsovideogames suchas“KontyuMonster Battle Master,” and “Kontyu MonsterBattle Stadium,” both for GameBoy Advance.Theseare simulationgames that involve rearingpowerfulbeetlesandbattlingthem.AccordingtotheNintendoJapanwebsite(http://www.nintendo.co.jp/),KontyuMonsterBattleStadiumincludesa“DNAevolutionsystem”thatallowstheplayertoextractDNAfromabeetlethathasbeenbredtocreatemorepowerfuloffspring.

Another children’s entomological videogameis “Za Kontyu Saishu” (or “Bug Collecting”)designedforSonyPlaystation2®(Fig.14).Thisgamediffersfromthegamespreviouslydescribedinthatthegoalofthisgameistocollectinsects.Themaincharacterinthegameisaten-year-oldboynamedShota,whomtheplayercontrols.Whenthegamebegins,ShotaisleftonanisolatedislandsomewhereinthemiddleofthePacificOcean.Theisland has an entomological laboratory ownedby a 70-year-old entomologist, Dr. Takagi. TheprofessorofentomologyinformsShotathatallofhislaboratoryinsectshaveescaped,andthatShotamustretrievethe300insectspeciesfromtheisland.InsectsthatappearinthegamearemainlyJapanesespecies,butsomecharismaticexotictaxaarealsoincluded.Withaten-year-oldfemalecompanionnamedMisaki,Shotausesavarietyofentomologi-calequipment,suchasaerialandaquaticnets,jars,andinsectsprays.Thegameevenincludesalanternforattractingnocturnalinsects.

ZaKontyu-Saishuisverysimilartofirst-personshootervideogameslikeDoom®,butinsteadofwalkingaroundwithagun,theplayercarriesdif-ferentkindsofnetsandinterchangeablecollectingequipment.Insectspecimensvaryinsize,sex,andabundance. The behavior and activity time foreachinsectreflectsthetruenaturalhistoryofthespecies.SpecimensbroughtbacktothelaboratoryaredatabasedintoDr.Takagi’scardcatalog.Oncedatabased, theplayercan lookupthespecies inthecatalogand learn interesting factsabout theinsect,suchasitsnaturalhistoryanddistribution.Forexample,iftheplayercollectsBombus ardens Smith (Apidae),theinformationboxreads,“ThisspeciesisrathersimilartoXylocopa appendiculata,butdiffersinthatitsbodyismorehairy,andhasanorangepatchontheposteriortipofitsabdomen.Thebeeisactiveduringthespringandearlysum-mer,andcanbefoundeveninurbanareas.”Theplayercanalsozoominontheinsectandlookatitupclose.Iftheplayercollectsamalecicadaoramaleorthopteran,theinformationboxwilloftenprovideanauralsampleofitsmatingcall.Notonlyisthisgameeducationalbecauseitteacheschildreninterestingfactsaboutinsects,buttheplayermustknow a little about the insect’s life history andbehavior tocollect it.For instance, if theplayertriestocollectastinkbugwithanaquaticnet,thehemipteranwilllikelyescapethroughlargeseams

inthenettingandflyaway.ThegamealsoincludesPayan,athirteen-year-oldassistantofDr.Takagi.TheunfriendlyPayanisShota’srival,andrevealscollectingtips ifShota’s insectscanbeatPayan’sbugs inone-on-onecompetitions suchas“drag-onfly races,”“beetlebattles,” and“grasshopperjumpingcompetitions.”

Nintendo has its own versions of insect col-lectinggamessuchas“KontyuHakase”(“DoctorEntomologist”) for GameBoy Advance, and therecentlyreleased“ZaMushi-ToriOkoku”(“TheBugCollectingKingdom”)fortheportableNin-tendoDS®entertainmentsystem.KontyuHakaserequirestheplayertocollect250insectsandcon-structazukan.Theplayerbeginsasanoviceentomologistbutgraduallyimproves his collecting skills andbroadenshis insectknowledgebydevelopingentomologicalcontactsandupgradinghiscollectingequip-ment.

ZaMushi-ToriOkokuissimi-lar, but differs in that the playercarries a simulated zukan,whichhe uses to identify insects andrecordcollectingdata.Theplayermustalsoknowthefoodsourceofeachinsectbecausehewillhavetofeed it so that it can survive. ZaMushi-Tori Okoku includes 400insectspeciesandcontainsuniquefeaturessuchasallowingtheplayertodiscovernewspeciesandhybrid-izeexisting species tocreatenewsubspecies.

Theincreasingnumberofento-mologicalvideogamesavailableforJapanese children was developednotonly to capture the children’sinterestininsects,butalsototargetparents.Accordingtothedevelop-ers of Mushi-King, the incrediblesuccessofthisvideogamecannotonlybeattributedtochildren’sinterestininsects,butbecause“theparents…canrelateto[beetles]aswell.Fathersremembercatchingandkeepingbeetleswhentheywerekids”(Wallace,2005:A9).IfJapaneseparentshad not learned about entomology during theirformativeyears,theyprobablywouldnotpurchasetheseeducationalgamesfortheirchildren.

It is thereforea combinationof theparents’entomologicalexperiencesduringchildhoodandtheplethoraofavailableentomologicalresourcesthat helps educate children about entomologyin Japan. When these children become parentsthemselves, they tooare likely toparticipate intheirchild’sentomologicaleducation.Thiseduca-tionprocesscancontinueovergenerations,andhelpsstrengthenthesociety’soverallappreciationfor entomology and natural history. Althoughvideogamesoninsectswerenotdevelopeduntilrecently,otherresourceshavebeenavailableformanyyearsinJapan.Onesuchresourceisento-mologicalsupplies.

Fig. 14. “Za Kontyu Saishu” insect collecting videogame.


Entomological SuppliesIfitwerenotformyfather’schildhoodexperi-

encesandtheavailabilityofJapaneseentomologi-calsupplies,IamfairlycertainthatIwouldnotbewritingthisarticletoday.Thedaythathelpeddirect my career path as an entomologist camewhenmyfatherwalkedintoaJapanesedepartmentstoreandaccidentallycameuponinsectcollectingequipment.Heboughtanet formethatday,astheequipmentinthestorebroughtbackmemoriesofhischildhoodexperiencerearingthepapilionidbutterfly,Luehdorfia japonica Leech.Iwasimme-diately captivatedby thenet, became fascinatedwithcollecting,andcollectedanythingthatmoved.Otherentomologicalsuppliesandzukanquicklyfollowed.Duringelementaryschool,Ilearnedthata Japanese supply company was distributing itsproducts to department stores, making it easierforthegeneralpublictopurchaseentomologicalproducts.

That company is Shiga Kontyu, one of theoldestJapaneseentomologicalsupplycompanies,opensince1931(Fig.15).ShigaKontyuislocatedincentralTokyo,andsellsentomologicalsuppliessuch as vials, foreceps, drawers, nets, spreadingboards,andenvelopes,inadditiontoentomologi-calliteratureanddriedspecimens.Theownerofthe store is the 103-year-old Mr. Usuke Shiga,whohasperfectedhis equipmentover theyearsto meet the needs of many Japanese entomolo-gists.AlthoughMr.UsukeShigadoesnotmanagethestoreanymore,hestilloccasionallyvisits.Hiscareerasanentomologicalsupplierisdiscussedinhisautobiography(Shiga,2004).

Japanesecollectingequipmentisfairlystandard-ized,andmostJapaneseentomologistsusesimilarequipment.Japaneselepidopteristsandodonatiststypically do not use rectangular envelopes, butinsteadusetriangularones,mainlybecausetrian-gularcarryingcasesareavailable(Fig.16).Thesetriangular cases, made of metal or hard leather,protectpapered specimens in thefield.Thecasecan hold over one hundred envelopes, and canbetiedtoastringandcarriedaroundtheneckorattachedtoawaistbelt.Triangularboxesallowcollectorstopaperspecimensquicklyinthefield,andsometriangularboxeshaveadditionalstrapstoholdkillingjars.

TherearethreegeneraltypesofJapanesetele-scopicnetshafts:aluminum,bamboo,orgraphite(Fig.17).Netscomeinvariouslengths,ringdiam-eters,clothmaterials,andcolors.Mostnetpartsare interchangeable,anddifferentnet colorsaresupposedly better suited for collecting differentinsects.AccordingtoasaleswomanatShigaKon-tyu,dragonflycollectorspreferblack,green,andrednets,whilebluenetsarepreferredbycollectorsaftermorphosandparticularpapilionidbutterflies.The standard Japanese aluminum telescopic net(approximately¥6000,$50)islight,flexible,andcaneasilyfoldandfitintoone’sbackpack.Nearlyall insect enthusiasts in Japanhaveoneof thesenets,regardlessofthekindofinsectstheystudy.Unfortunately, thesenets arenot available fromBioQuip®orothersuppliersintheUnitedStates.

Fig. 16. Triangle envelope carrying

case. This case has straps along the side to allow

the collector to carry tubes and

killing jars.

Fig. 17. Three main types of entomological net shafts. From top to

bottom: aluminum, graphite, bamboo.

Fig. 15. The Shiga-Kontyu entomological supply store, located in Shibuya, Tokyo.


Therearealsoverylongtelescopicextensionnetsthatreachnearly30feet,whicharegreatforcol-lectingcanopyinsects(Fig.18).

Japanese entomologists generally use Shiga’sstainless steel insect pins for specimens in theircollection.ThesepinsdifferfromtypicalWesternpinsinthattheyareslightlylongeranddonothavealargebeadedhead.Pinsrangefromsize000to6,andaresmall-headedornon-headed.Non-headedpinsareoftenusedforphotographingsothatthebodyoftheinsectisnotobscuredbythepinhead.Pinscomeinsetsof100,andeachpackisapproxi-mately¥250–¥400($2.10–$3.30).MinutensarealsoavailablethroughShiga,butShigaonlysellsone size, and theyare longer than those sold inEuropeorNorthAmerica.

NumerousJapaneseentomologicalsupplycom-paniessellspreadingboards,but inmyopinion,thebestboardsaremadebytheArtInabayaCom-pany,locatedinTottoriPrefecture.AswithotherJapanesespreadingboards,Inabayaboardscomeindifferentwidths,andsomeareslightlyangledtopreventwingsagging.Inabayaboardsareabitpricey(rangingfrom$14to$30perboard),buttheyarecarefullycraftedandreliable.NearlyallJapanesespreadingboardsaremadefromthesoftwoodofthePrincessTree, Paulownia tomentosa (Thunb.)Steud.Eachisbuilttofitsecurelyintoaspreadingboardcarryingcasethatallowsdryingspecimens to be transported on boards withoutdamage(Fig.19).AlsoavailablearecorkboardsforspreadinglegsofColeopteraandHemiptera,andadjustablespreadingboardsinwhichthegapbetweentheboardscanbesettomatchthewidthoftheinsect’sbody.

Dried insectspecimensaretypicallystored inalargeblackdisplaycasewithafoambottom,orsmallerboxesmadeofcardboardorwoodwithacorkbottom.Somecollectorshavebegunusingunit trays for their collection,butunit traysarerelativelynewinJapan,andmanycollectorsstillpin specimens directly into the foam bottom ofdisplaycases.StandardJapaneseblackdisplaycasesareslightlylargerthantheCornelldrawer,andthelidofthedrawerismuchtighterthanthosesoldintheUnitedStates.Lidsarehand-craftedtofitverytightly topreventdermestidsandmoisture fromentering.Humidity incentral Japan isveryhighduring the summer, rarelydroppingbelow80%evenonasunnyday.SomeJapaneselepidopteristswill refuse toopen theirdrawerscontainingdryspecimensona rainyday in fear that thewingswill permanentlydroop.Others even store theirdrawers containingLepidopteraupside-down topreventwingsagging.

Manytoolsareavailableforspreadingandpre-paringspecimensbecausespecimenpresentationisconsideredveryimportantinJapan.Regardlessofthetaxonomicgroup,specimensinpersonalcollec-tionsareusuallyspreadwithtremendousamountofcare.Forinstance,mostJapanesecoleopteristswill spread antennae and every leg so that thespecimenisperfectlysymmetrical.Infact,whileIwasgrowingupinJapan,Ihadneverheardoffield

pinning.Itwasn’tuntilItookageneralentomologycourseasanundergraduateintheUnitedStatesthatIlearnedaboutthistechnique.Thebeautyof theinsect, and the art of insectpresentation, is particularlyimportantinJapanesepersonalinsectcollections.

Personal Insect Collections, Publications, and Conservation

The availability of insectcollectingequipmentandsup-plies allows many Japaneseinsecthobbyiststomakeper-sonal collections. There arethousands of personal insectcollectionsthroughoutJapan,each kept in the private collector’s small home.MostinsectcollectorsareinterestedinMacrolepi-dopteraorcharismaticbeetles(typicallyCarabidae,Cerambycidae,Lucanidae,orScarabaeidae).Thereareafewwhocollectothergroupsofinsects,suchasDipteraandHemiptera,butthesecollectorsareoftheconsiderableminority.

Fig. 18. The 30-foot long extension net used to collect canopy insects.

Fig. 19. The spreading board case available

through Shiga Kontyu. Spreading boards

slide into the case and are firmly secured to

prevent damage of spread material.


Regardlessofthetaxonomicgroup,mostinsectcollectors take entomology very seriously, andself-trainthemselvesinsystematicsandtaxonomy.ManyfamousJapaneseinsecttaxonomistsarenotaffiliatedwith auniversity, butwork from theirhome. They publish their findings regularly inJapanesejournalsandalsopublishmanybooksonnaturalhistory,manyofwhichincludespectacularcolorphotos.

Almost all collectors treat entomology as ahobbybecauseinsectsdonotprovideameansforfi-nancialsupport(forexceptions,seesectionentitled“Beetlemania”).Financialsupportformostnon-institutionalJapaneseentomologistscomesfromafull-timejobthatisunrelatedtoentomology.Forexample,acolleagueofminehascompactorsinhistinyatticinTokyo,storingover10,000specimensofbutterflies,butworksasasalespersonandsellselectronichouseholdappliancesashisprofession.Manyentomologistsareeagertoretire,asvacationdaysarelimitedformanyfull-timejobsinJapan.AssoonasJapaneseentomologistsretirefromtheirnon-entomologicaloccupation,theywilloftende-votetheirtimetodocumentinginsectlifehistoriesor to collecting taxa thatarenot represented intheircollections.

CharismaticJapaneseinsectsarewellstudied,mainlybecauseofthedeeppublicinterestinen-tomology.Forexample,thereareapproximately230speciesofnativeJapanesebutterflies(Kawa-zoéandWakabayashi,1976),andtherearemorethan fifty books on Japanese butterflies. Whilemostareillustratedzukanforbothchildrenandadults,somebooksareguidebookstocollectingparticular insects, suchasbutterflies.One suchbookisTyo no Saishu Mappu(Nishiyama,1984)whichcanbetranslatedas“Acollectingmapforbutterflies.”

WhenIwasachildattendingelementaryschoolinTokyo,myfatherboughtthisbook.Duringthesummer,wetookathree-tofour-hourtrainrideat4:00a.m.everySundaytolookforparticularspeciesincludedinthisbutterflytreasuremap.Ononeoccasion,wewenttolookforFavonius yuasaiShirôzu,arelativelyraretheclinelycaenidwhichfliesinthecanopy.Whenwearrivedatthelocality,Iwasshockedtodiscoverovertenlepidopteristswiththeir30-footextensionpoleslinedupagainstaforestjustafterdawn.ThesceneremindedmeofalineoftroutfishermenalongastreaminupstateNewYork.Thelepidopteristswerestaringintothecanopywaitingforthemorningflightofthedrabbrownlycaenid.Iwastheluckiesteight-yearoldthat day, because while the collectors were dili-gentlylookingintothecanopy,afemaleF. yuasailandedonalowbranchafewstepsinfrontofme.Itstartedrainingheavilyafewminuteslater,andImayhavebeentheonlyonethatdaytohavecol-lectedthebutterfly.

Butterflies are not the only insects popularwith fanatic Japanese collectors. Ikeda (1999)discussedthecrazesurroundingparticularJapa-nesecerambycids.Hereportsthatduringthefewweeks when tiny, short-winged cerambycids in

the genus Necydalis are active, collectors willsurround particular flowering trees. Collectorstravelhundredsofmilesveryearlyinthemorningtostakeoutfloweringtreesthatareknownwithinthecerambycidcommunitytobe“longhornmag-nets.” Ikedamentions that somecollectorswillsitinatreeformorethanthreehoursduringthemorninginanattempttocollectonespecimenofa rare Necydalis. Speaking fromexperience,hestatesthatoneofthebiggestproblemsishavingtousetherestroomwhilesittinginthetree.Ifheclimbsdown,heriskslosinghisspottothemanycollectorswaitingbelow.

ManyJapaneseentomologistshaveshiftedtheirinterestfromnativeJapaneseinsectstothosethatare foreign.Aswitchoften takesplaceonce thecollectorhasacquiredmostofthefocalJapanesetaxaofinterest,andseeksforeignspeciesbecausemostJapanesecharismaticinsectsarewellstudiedandtherearerelativelyfewnewdiscoveriestobemade.PopularforeigncountriesamongJapanesecollectorsarethosethataregeographicallyclosetoJapan,suchasChina,Russia,andTaiwan.AstheyhavedoneforJapan,Japaneseinsectcollec-tors have contributed significantly to furtheringthe understanding of insects from these neigh-boring countries, as new entomological findingsare regularly published in Japanese and foreignentomologicalpublications.

Thereare,however,particularproblemswiththe abundance of Japanese private collections.One problem is that entomologists with privatecollectionsaresometimesunwillingtodepositsci-entificallyvaluablespecimensinmuseumsbecausespecimensaretreatedastreasuresofthecollector.For example, type specimens are occasionallysoldortraded.IhaveseenaninstanceinwhichaJapanesecollectorcreatedaparatypeseriesofoverfiftyspecimenssothathecouldmakeapersonalprofit.

Anotherproblemisover-collecting.Manypri-vateinsectcollectorsdonothaveofficialcollect-ing permits for neighboring countries, primarilybecauseitisverydifficultforprivatecollectorstoobtainthem.SeveralAsiancountrieshaverecentlyenforcedstrictregulationsagainstJapaneseinsectcollectors,infearofpopulationsbecomingextir-pated.Althoughmanydiscoveries arepublishedandproperlyreported,insectspecimensarealmostalwaysputintoaprivateJapanesecollection,andonlyoccasionallyisavoucherspecimendepositedinthecountryfromwhichitwascollected.

InJapan,insectscanbereadilycollectedwithoutapermitinmostplacesoutsideofnationalparksandrestrictedareas.Inordertopreventover-col-lectingofrarespecies,Japanesenationalandlocalgovernments have enforced regulations againstcollecting particular insects. Governments haverecognizedsomespeciesandlocalizedpopulationsas“TennenKinenbutu,”or“nationalmonumentalthings”(Sibatani,1990).Itisillegaltocollectspe-ciesthathavebeenlabeledasTennenKinenbutuanywhereinJapan.

AccordingtotheJapanIntegratedBiodiversity


Information System (http://www.biodic.go.jp/J-IBIS.html),66ofthe30,000orsodescribedJapa-neseinsectsarecurrentlylistedasendangered;mostofthesearebutterflies,beetlesanddragonflies.Twoinsectsarelistedasextinct,bothcarabidbeetles:Rakantrechus elegans (Uéno), and Ishikawatre-chus intermedius (Uéno). Unfortunately, propermanagement plans have not been implementedformanyofthesespeciesorpopulationsinmostoralloftheirdistribution,andmanyspecieshavedeclinedevenintheabsenceofcollectingpressure(Sibatani,1990).

DevelopmentanddestructionofnaturalhabitatistheprimarycauseofdeclineinthenumberofparticularJapaneseinsectspecies(Sei,1988;Hama et al.,1989;Sibatani,1990).Therehavebeenmanylocaleffortstoconserveandprotectsuchspecies,andtheseeffortsareoftenorganizedbytheinsectcollectorsthemselves.Forinstance,theLepidop-terologicalSocietyofJapan(LSJ),anorganizationof lepidopteristswhoaremainlycollectors,heldspecial symposia and published a multi-volumeseriesdocumenting thedeclineandconservationneedsforparticularendangeredJapanesebutterflyspecies(Hama et al.,1989;YataandUeda,1993;Ae et al.,1996;TanakaandArita,1996).Successfulconservationeffortsforbutterfliescanbeattributedtomaintenanceofnaturalhabitatratherthanfor-malprohibitionofcollecting,andLSJhasurgedgovernmentstorestorenaturalhabitats(Hama et al.,1989;YataandUeda,1993;Ae et al.,1996;TanakaandArita,1996).

Restorationeffortsforinsectsofteninvolvelo-calJapaneseresidents.InShizuoka,forexample,Japan’snationalbutterfly,Sasakia charonda,hasbecomeincreasinglyrareinrecentyears,andsomelocal townsareplanting its larval foodplant inandaroundthecity.Localelementaryschoolshelpplantthesetrees,andannuallyreleasecaptive-bredadultsofthisbutterfly.Asaresult,populationsofS. charonda inShizuokahavebeenthriving(KunihikoKobayashi,pers.comm.,2000).Therehavebeensimilareffortstorestorehabitatfordecliningpopu-lationsofdragonflies.Adragonflypondrestorationprogramwasrecentlycreated,andtherearenowbetween500and1000artificialpondsfordragon-fliesinJapan(Primack et al.,2000).Therearealsoregionalbeetleconservationprogramswhichfocusonstagbeetlesandinvolveaidfromlocalchildren(e.g.,HiattandShapiro,1988).

Japanese collectors, breeders, and conserva-tionists can readilypublish theirfindings inanyof thefiftyor so Japanese journalsonentomol-ogythatcirculateinacountryroughlythesizeofMontana.AsintheUnitedStates,therearemanyregionalandinternationalentomologicaljournals,andeachjournalpublishespapersforadifferententomologicalaudience.Whilemanypeer-reviewedJapanesejournalspublishscientificresearchpapersonly,othersarewrittenforthebroadercommunityofinsectenthusiasts.Therearealsojournalsthatbridgethegapbetweenhobbyistsandprofession-als, includingarticleswrittenbyboth.OnesuchjournalisGekkan Mushi,publishedbyMushi-Sha,

whichhasitsmainofficeandentomologicalsupplystore inNakano,Tokyo(http://homepage2.nifty.com/mushi-sha/).Thejournalpublishesarticlesonallaspectsofentomologyincolor,andlikemanyotherJapaneseentomological journals, therearenopagecharges. Inorder tofinancepagecosts,Japanesejournalstypicallychargeahigherpricefor membership than in the United States (ap-proximately$100annuallyforGekkan Mushi).Todisplacethehighmembershipfee,somejournalshavespecialdealsinwhichthefeecanbereducedifthatsubscriberhasmultipleacceptedpaperstothejournalinagivenyear.

Japanalsohassomeextremelyspecializedjour-nalswhichdonothavecounterpartsintheUnitedStates.Forinstance,TineaisajournalpublishedbytheJapanHeterocerists’Society,whichspecializesinmoths,andRostriaisajournalonHemiptera,publishedbytheHemipterologicalSocietyofJa-pan.Intheearly1990’s,therewasevenajournalcalled Donaciistwhichpublishedarticlessolelyonaquaticchrysomelidbeetles.

Olderjournalissuescanbepurchaseddirectlyfrompublishersorthroughusedbookstoresthatspecializeinnaturalhistory.Twoexamplesofusednatural history bookstores are Naturebook.net, formerlyknownasBaur and Sato Japan (http://www.insectbook.com/), and Nan-Yodo (http://www.nanyodo.net/). The Hokkaido-based Nan-YodocarriesnewandoldJapaneseentomologicalliterature,muchofwhichisquiterare.Inadditiontooldentomologicalbooks,theseusedbookstoressellrecentpopularpublicationssuchasbooksonbreedingpetbeetles.

BeetlemaniaWithin the past ten to fifteen

years,beetlebreedingandrearinghas become extremely popularin Japan, and there are at least300,000beetlebreedingfansinthecountry(Ida,1999,Fig.20).IhaveaJapanesefriendwhorearsdungbeetlesasahobby,andhestock-pilesdungfromvariousanimalsinZiplocbagsinhisfreezerathome.During the summer, he collectsfreshdungatlocalfarmstofeedhispetbeetles,andhekeepsfrozendung for them until the winter.Eachtimehefeedshisbeetles,hethawsoutthedung.Hiswifewasverysupportiveofhishobbyuntiloneday,shetookoutoneoftheZiplocbags,openedit,andpulledoutwhatshethoughtwasgroundbeef.Hewasluckyshedidn’taskforadivorce–hewas forced tobuyaseparatefreezerforhisdungcollection.

Livelucanidstagbeetlesarealsohighlyprized,especially foreignspeciesand those in thegenusDorcus.ForeignspecieshavebecomesopopularthatJapanesecollectorsareoccasionallycaughtin

Fig. 20. Beetle breeding fans push and shove for

a chance to buy their favorite live beetle at an

insect fair.


othercountriesforillegallycollectingandsmugglingbeetles(Stanton,2001;Hall,2003).Afterimportrestrictionsforbeetleswereeasedin1999whenthePlantProtectionLawwasrevised,hundredsofthousandsofbeetleshavebeenbroughtintoJapanannually(Mamemachi,2005).In2002,96beetlespeciesfrom25countries,totaling682,800beetles,wereimported(Hall,2003),andJapanallowedtheimportof505beetlespeciesin2004(Mamemachi,2005).TheJapanesegovernmentallowedbeetlestobelegallyimportedbecauseitwasassumedthattropicalspecieshavelittlechanceofsurvivingintemperateJapan(WayneHsu,pers.comm.).

A species that has continued to fascinatebeetleenthusiastsisthedomesticlucanid,Dorcus curvidens(Hope),whichhasbecomeincreasinglyrareinJapan.Duetoitslargemandiblesandbodysize, live captive-bredmalesofD. curvidens areusuallyvaluedat$30–$200dependingontheirsize.Althoughdetailsremainsomewhatunclear,ononeoccasion,alivemaleD. curvidensspecimenover80mmlongwasbelievedtohavesoldfor10millionyen (~$90,000USdollars) (Anonymous,1999;Ida,1999).ThepetbeetlewasapparentlybredbyanamateurbreederinFukuiPrefecture,broughttoaninsectspecialtyshopinTokyo,andsoldtoanunidentified36-year-oldpresidentofaJapanesecommunicationscompany.Toavoidme-diaattention,thepartiessupposedlysecretlymetinakaraokecubicletomakethetransaction(Ida,1999).Atonepoint,these“blackdiamonds”wereworthsomuchthatcollectorstookoutbankloanstobuyasinglebeetle,andburglarswerereportedtohavebrokenintoinsectstoresinTokyoandstolen$67,000worthofbeetles(Anonymous,1999).

Inresponsetosuchdemand,manycoleopter-ists developed specialized techniques to growlargebeetles incaptivity.Forexample, therearelucanid-grubrearing jarscontaining fungicalled“Kinshi-bin,”whichareavailable indepartmentstores,alongwithlargebagsofbeetledirt.Thesebagsofdirttypicallycontainoakchips,dung,andfungi.Thepriceofa1kgbag rangesanywhere

from$4to$25,dependingonthequalityofthedunganddirt.Asubstancesimilartooaksapissoldinsmallbottlesorasindividually-sealedjel-liesforadultbeetles.Beetlejelliessuchas“DorcusJelly”(Fig.21)aremanufacturedtohelpbeetleslivelonger.Suchjelliescostapproximately$12fora large bag. Other beetle jellies include “HyperJelly,” “Power-up Jelly,” and “Wellness Jelly,”whicharepresumablyforlethargicbeetles.Somevarietiescontainhighamountsofproteinandareproduced solely for female beetles, so that theywilllaymanylargeeggs.Spraybottlescontainingpheromonescanbepurchasedandsprayedontheelytraoffemalebeetles,whichstimulatesmalestocopulate(Fig.22).Othertoolsforbeetlesincludetongs designed to pick up grubs, scent removalpowderandsheets,andatoothbrushdesignedtoremovemitesfrombeetlesterna(Fig.23). Thereisaplethoraofliteratureonbreedinglucanidsandscarabsthatfocusesstrictlyontechniquesforcare,rearing,andmeasurement.Manyofthestandardbeetle rearing supplies are available from insectspecialtyshops,butcanalsobepurchasedfromthepetsectionofJapanesedepartmentstores.

Thepriceofbeetleshasdeclinedoverthelastseveralyears,mainlyduetothenumberofbeetlesuppliersandimprovedtechniquesandresourcesforrearinglargebeetles,butsomerarebreedsarestillquiteexpensive.IhaveafriendinJapanwhoboughtaFerrariseveralyearsagowithmoneyhesavedfromsellingbeetlesinhisbeetlestore.MaybesomedaycaterpillarsandmaggotswillbeworthasmuchasJapaneselucanidgrubs!

ConclusionsTheinsectthemecanbefoundalloverJapan

today,onchildren’svideogames,books,candiessoldinconveniencestores,andpetbeetlesinde-partment stores. Japanese children are educated

Fig. 21. “Dorcus Jelly,” one of the

many beetle jellies manufactured for

rearing beetles.

Fig. 22. Spray bottles containing lucanid pheromones that stimulate copulation.


aboutinsectsthroughreading,watchingtelevisionprograms, playing with insect-related toys andvideo games, and from collecting insects. Whenthesechildrenbecomeadults,theyhelpteachtheirchildrenaboutentomology,andaninterestinento-mologycontinuesforgenerations.Unfortunately,insectsdonothavetheirownplaceinAmericandepartmentstores,therearerelativelyfewtoysorvideogames thatpromote entomological educa-tionintheUnitedStates,anditisunusualtoseeAmerican children frantically reading books onentomologyinabookstore.Havinglivedinbothcountriesduringmychildhood,Ibelieveourso-cietyoftenportraysinsectsasbeingscary,gross,andcreepy,whichinmanycasesismisleadingandscientifically inaccurate.Reality televisionshowswithdisgustedparticipantswhoareforcedtoeatbugsdonothelpteachthegeneralpublicaboutnaturalhistory.NordoHollywoodfilmsdepict-ingmonstrousinsectsandarachnidshelpeducatechildrenortheirparents.

AsAmericanentomologistsandeducators,wemust change the general misleading perceptionthatfrequentlysurroundsinsectsinourcountry.Negativeperceptionsassociatedwithinsectsoftendevelopfromalackofunderstandingaboutinsects.Manyofourchildrenarebrainwashedduringtheirformative years to believe that they should stayaway from insects. The American entomologistHaroldEnsignEvansoncewrote:

“Biased we are, for most of us are brainwashed in childhood against anything devoid of hair or feathers ... Even a mature and thoughtful man, imbued with reverence for living things, has not quite the same feeling for a beetle that he has for a squirrel” (Evans,1968:82).

There are certainly American children whoare eager to learn about insects, and Americanbooksandmoviesthathelpeducatechildrenaboutentomology.However,itishardtocompareourchildrentoJapanesekids,whowillfighttograba

beetleassoonastheyseeone.Childrenhaveaninnatecuriositytolearnabout

naturalhistory.Itisimperativethatweaidtheircuriosityandteachthemaboutthissubject,asitintroducesachildtobiodiversity,scientificexperi-mentation,andthebasicsoflife.InarecentarticleoninsectcultureinJapan,ErikLaurentwrote:

“[Japanese children] learn very early, for instance, that fireflies, rhinoceros beetles, and other creatures appear and then die during a limited period of the year. [Insects] give children concrete material for their experimental dialogue with nature and introduce them to biological diversity. An insect’s relatively short life span also teaches them about ontogenetic development and the cycles of life.”(Laurent,2001:71).

Educatingchildrenaboutbiodiversityisespe-ciallycritical,aswearefacingabiodiversitycrisisand more organisms are becoming extinct thaneverbefore(Wilson,1985,1988).Insectsareoneofthemostdiversegroupsontheplanet,butwewillneverknowwhatexistedwhenitdisappears.Furtheringourunderstandingofinsectdiversityre-quirescountlesstaxonomicspecialistsandstudentstraining in taxonomy (Wilson, 1985; Wheeler,1990,1995;Wheeler et al.,2004).Unfortunately,doctoraldegrees inallfieldsof systematicshavedeclinedintheUnitedStates(Nash,1989),andfewundergraduateprogramsteachtaxonomy(Schrock,1989).Itismucheasierforachildtobecomeaninsecttaxonomistwheninsectsareacceptedandintegratedaspartofculture.

Over-collectinginJapanhascertainlyledtonu-merousproblems,butcollectingisoneofthemainreasonswhyJapanhasexcelledinentomology–es-peciallytaxonomy.Withareasonableconservationagendainmind,wemustcontinueprovidingnetstoourchildren,asdirectobservationandexposurearethebestwaystoeducatekidsaboutinsectsandnaturalhistory.Werelyonourchildren,asitistheywhowillcontinueteachingentomologytofuture

Fig. 23. Japanese rearing equipment for beetles and other pet insects sold in a department store. From left to right: 1. tongs for picking up beetles; 2. a toothbrush for removing mites from beetle sterna; 3. powder for mite removal; 4, 5, 8. small and large fruit fly contraption cases; 6. powdered insect scent remover; 7. scent removal and substrate hydration sheet; 9, 10. fruit fly prevention sheets.


generations,andfurtherthescienceofentomologyintheUnitedStatesandabroad.

AcknowledgementsAspectsofthispaperoriginatedfromapresen-

tationgivenat theLepidopterists’Societyannualmeetingin2003inOlds,Canada,organizedbyFelixA.H.Sperling.ContentswereeditedandimprovedafterpresentationsattheUniversityofMaryland,organizedbyAmyE.Brown;The1103rdEntomo-logicalSocietyofWashingtonMeeting,organizedby John Brown, David G. Furth and Steven W.Lingafelter;andataguestlectureattheUniversityofFlorida,organizedbyThomasC.Emmel.Ithankorganizersandparticipantsineachcaseforstimu-latingdiscussionswhichimprovedthemanuscript.RobertDirig,RobertM.Pyle,andLisaA.Taylorkindlyreviewedanearlierdraft.IalsothankWayneW.Hsu,SaheKawahara,theHiraokafamily,Jes-sicaOreck,MyriapodProductionsandthemanyJapaneseandAmericanentomologistswhoprovidedtheinformationnecessarytowritethispaper.Iamespeciallyindebtedtomyparentsforprovidingtheopportunity to splitmy formative yearsbetweenJapanandtheUnitedStates.Withouttheirdedica-tion,IwouldnothaveexperiencedandabsorbedtheculturesurroundingentomologyinJapan.

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Akito Y. KawaharaisagraduatestudentattheUni-versityofMaryland,specializinginthesystematicsof Sphingidae (advisor: Charles Mitter), and isinvolved in theLepidopteraTreeofLifeproject(www.leptree.net).Untilhe turned13,Akitoat-tendedaschoolinJapanandtheUSsimultaneously,andgainedastrongappreciationforentomologyduring his childhood. Contact: 4112 Plant Sci-ences Building, College Park, MD 20742 USA;[email protected] 7

“What is it?” answer.

Thisisaphotoofchew-inglice,Piagetiella peralis(Leidy)(Phthiraptera:Men-oponidae),insidethepouchofaprefledgedAmericanwhitepelican.Pouchliceareverycommoninwhitepelicansandarereadilytransferredamongprefledg-esbycontact.Theyarealarge,robustlouse(5-7mminlength).Thecalliphoridinthelowerrightcorner(anopportunisiticvisitorwhileexaminingthispelican)offersasizecomparison.Thelicefeedinsidethepouchonepidermalcellsandblood,causingulcer-ationswhichreportedlyweakenprefledges.Feedingproducesareddish-brownexudate.ThephotographwastakenatMedicineLakeNationalWildlifeRefugeinthenortheastcornerofMontana.

Thephotographwassub-mittedbyGregoryJohnson,ProfessorofVeterinaryEn-tomology,MontanaStateUniversity,Bozeman,MT.

Ifyouhaveacolorphoto-graphofaninsect,insectpart,orentomologicalap-paratusthatyouwouldliketosubmitforthe“Whatisit?”feature,pleasee-maila300dpiTIFFandadescrip-tionoftheimagetotheedi-toratcdarwin@aol.com.

thirty-foot telescopic nets, bug-collecting video games ... · insect collecting and rearing...

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