Yasuo Uchidaの "The Togakushi Legend Murders" を読んでいます。
As he squatted down with an uninhibited shout of relief, he spotted something very rare on the ground in front of him. This part of the ground, probably under water when the brook was high, was practically all sand. In it a doodlebug had dug a cone-shaped hole.
...
"It's a doodlebug hole! The larva of a mayfly is in there."
"doodlebug" は聞いたことがない虫ですが、その後に "dug a cone-shaped hole" とあるので、アリジゴクを連想します。 "doodlebug" を辞書で見ると、
・Collins Dictionary: any of certain insect larvae that resemble the antlion
動植物なら百科事典の方が丁寧な説明があるのでWikipediaも見ます。
The antlions are a group of about 2,000 species of insect in the neuropteran family Myrmeleontidae. They are known for the predatory habits of their larvae, which mostly dig pits to trap passing ants or other prey. In North America, the larvae are sometimes referred to as doodlebugs because of the marks they leave in the sand. The adult insects are less well known due to their relatively short lifespans compared to the larvae. Adults, sometimes known as antlion lacewings, mostly fly at dusk or just after dark and may be mistakenly identified as dragonflies or damselflies.
...
Adults, sometimes known as antlion lacewings, mostly fly at dusk or just after dark and may be mistakenly identified as dragonflies or damselflies.
"antlion" は聞いたことがあります。 アリジゴクなら成虫はウスバカゲロウなので、その後に出てきた "mayfly" はウスバカゲロウを指すはずですが、"mayfly" を辞書とWikipediaで確認します。
・Collins Dictionary: A mayfly is an insect which lives near water and only lives for a very short time as an adult.: He wishes he was out on the river now the mayflies are up.
・Wikipedia(抜粋): Immature mayflies are aquatic and are referred to as nymphs or naiads. In contrast to their short lives as adults, they may live for several years in the water.
つまり、"mayfly" は水生昆虫なので、小説に出てきた "mayfly" は小説の人物が間違ってカゲロウと言ったか、あるいは翻訳者がウスバカゲロウを "mayfly" と誤って訳したのではないかと思います。
As he squatted down with an uninhibited shout of relief, he spotted something very rare on the ground in front of him. This part of the ground, probably under water when the brook was high, was practically all sand. In it a doodlebug had dug a cone-shaped hole.
...
"It's a doodlebug hole! The larva of a mayfly is in there."
"doodlebug" は聞いたことがない虫ですが、その後に "dug a cone-shaped hole" とあるので、アリジゴクを連想します。 "doodlebug" を辞書で見ると、
・Collins Dictionary: any of certain insect larvae that resemble the antlion
動植物なら百科事典の方が丁寧な説明があるのでWikipediaも見ます。
The antlions are a group of about 2,000 species of insect in the neuropteran family Myrmeleontidae. They are known for the predatory habits of their larvae, which mostly dig pits to trap passing ants or other prey. In North America, the larvae are sometimes referred to as doodlebugs because of the marks they leave in the sand. The adult insects are less well known due to their relatively short lifespans compared to the larvae. Adults, sometimes known as antlion lacewings, mostly fly at dusk or just after dark and may be mistakenly identified as dragonflies or damselflies.
...
Adults, sometimes known as antlion lacewings, mostly fly at dusk or just after dark and may be mistakenly identified as dragonflies or damselflies.
"antlion" は聞いたことがあります。 アリジゴクなら成虫はウスバカゲロウなので、その後に出てきた "mayfly" はウスバカゲロウを指すはずですが、"mayfly" を辞書とWikipediaで確認します。
・Collins Dictionary: A mayfly is an insect which lives near water and only lives for a very short time as an adult.: He wishes he was out on the river now the mayflies are up.
・Wikipedia(抜粋): Immature mayflies are aquatic and are referred to as nymphs or naiads. In contrast to their short lives as adults, they may live for several years in the water.
つまり、"mayfly" は水生昆虫なので、小説に出てきた "mayfly" は小説の人物が間違ってカゲロウと言ったか、あるいは翻訳者がウスバカゲロウを "mayfly" と誤って訳したのではないかと思います。
トータル
