wormlionとは 意味・読み方・使い方

語源

worm +‎ lion, by analogy with antlion.

別の表記

• worm-lion
• worm lion

名詞

wormlion (複数形 wormlions)

1. The larva of a vermileonid.
   • 1956, S.H.Skaife, African Insect Life:

     The worm-lion dislike a damp environment; you will never, therefore, find its pit in wet soil. For preference it chooses the loose, dusty soil beneath an overhanging rock, or on the lee side of a dense bush or hedge, where it is protected from the rain.

   • 2009, James B. Nardi, Life in the Soil: A Guide for Naturalists and Gardeners, page 179:

     Because larvae of antlions use a similar strategy to capture prey, the fly larvae are by analogy called wormlions. Their scientific names were also chosen to reflect their parallel lives. Antlions belong to the family Myrmeleontidae (myrmex = ant; leo = lion), and wormlions belong to the family Vermileonidae (vermi = worm; leo = lion).