Chrysochroa fulgidissima
| Chrysochroa fulgidissima | |
|---|---|
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| A "tamamushi" beetle in Iizaka, Japan. | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Family: | Buprestidae |
| Genus: | Chrysochroa |
| Species: | C. fulgidissima |
| Binomial name | |
| Chrysochroa fulgidissima Schönherr, 1817 |
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Chrysochroa fulgidissima, "jewel beetle" or tamamushi in Japanese (Japanese kanji: 玉虫、吉丁虫 katakana: タマムシ; lit. 'gem-bug'）is a metallic woodboring beetle of the Buprestidae family.
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[edit] Characteristics
This beetle is native to Japan. It is typically found in woods or forests during summer and can grow between 30–41 millimetres (1.2–1.6 in) in length.[1]
The Tamamushi-no-zushi, 玉虫厨子, (Tamamushi shrine), an Asuka Period miniature shrine located at Hōryū-ji Temple, Nara prefecture, was decorated with lacquer and oil painting on wood, gilt bronze plaques, and with beetlewing work using the iridescent wings of the Chrysochroa fulgidissima beetle.[2]
[edit] Tamamushi-iro
Since this bug has iridescent wings that glow lengthwise with different colors depending upon the light angle, one cannot be sure exactly which color it is[3] . Therefore it gave rise to the expression tamamushi-iro (tamamushi color), in reference to a convoluted statement that can be interpreted in more ways than one.
The term tamamushi-iro is used in the context of Japanese officialdom, when politicians or bureaucrats use language that is unclear.[4]
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
- ^ ふしぎがわかる しぜん図鑑 こんちゅう, page 56. Froebel-Kan CO., LTD., 1999
- ^ Rowthorn, C.:Japan, page 370. Lonely Planet, 2005
- ^ Stavenga, D. G.; Wilts, B. D., Leertouwer, H. L., Hariyama, T. (2011). "Polarized iridescence of the multilayered elytra of the Japanese jewel beetle, Chrysochroa fulgidissima". Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 366 (1565): 709–723. doi:10.1098/rstb.2010.0197. PMID 21282175.
- ^ Japanese business language By Mitsubishi Corporation
[edit] References
- Rowthorn, Chris (2005), Japan, Lonely Planet, ISBN 1740599241
- Gullan, P.J.; Cranston, P.S. (2005), The Insects: An Outline of Entomology (3rd ed.), Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing Ltd, ISBN 1-4051-1113-5
- ふしぎがわかる しぜん図鑑 こんちゅう, Tokyo, Japan: Froebel-Kan CO., LTD., 1999, p. 56, ISBN 4-577-00033-4, http://www.froebel-kan.co.jp(Japanese)
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