Chapter 26
Overview
This region includes
Regional Taxonomic Inventory
Taxa and stages consumed Countries
Coleoptera
Beetle
grubs
Aquatic
larvae and adults Japan
Cerambycidae (long‑horned beetles)
Cerambycid
larvae/pupae
Curculionidae (weevils, snout beetles)
Cyrtotruchelus longimanus (author?), larva
Rhynchophorus chinensis (author?)
Dytiscidae (predaceous diving beetles)
Cybister bengalensis
Cybister guerini
Cybister japonicus Sharp, adult
Cybister limbatus Fabr., adult
Cybister spp., adults
Cybister sugillatus Er., adult
Cybister tripunctatus Ol., adult
Dytiscus marginalis (author?)
Dytiscus spp., adults Japan
Dytiscid
water beetles
Hydrophilidae (water scavenger beetles)
Hydrous bilineatus MacLeay, adult
Hydrous cavisternum Bedel, adult
Hydrous hastatus Herbst, adult
Hydrous pallidipalpis MacLeay, adult
Hydrophilid
water beetles
Elateridae (click beetles)
Elaterid
larvae, pupae Japan
Scarabaeidae (scarab beetles)
Scarabaeus molossus Linn., larva
Scarab
beetle adults
Family uncertain
Melanaster chinensis Forster, larva
Psacothea hilaris Pascoe, larva
Diptera
Calliphoridae (blow flies)
Chrysomyia megacephala (Fabr.), larva
Calliphorid
larvae
Muscidae (filth flies)
Musca domestica vicina Macq., larva
Sarcophagidae (flesh flies)
Sarcophagid
larvae
Ephemeroptera
Mayfly nymphs/adults
Hemiptera
Aquatic Hemiptera
Belostomatidae
(giant water bugs)
Lethocerus
indicus Lep. & Serv., adult
Belostomatid sp.
Pentatomidae
(stink bugs)
Tessaratoma
papillosa Drury, adult
Homoptera
Cicadidae
(cicadas)
Graptopsaltria
nigrofasciata Motschulsky, adult
Cicadid spp.,
nymphs/adults
Hymenoptera
Apidae
(honey bees)
Apis
mellifera Linn., drone pupa
Bee larvae/pupae/adults
Formicidae
(ants)
Polyrhachis
vicina Roger
Ant larvae/pupae
Scoliidae
(scoliids)
Scoliid larva, pupa
Vespidae
{wasps, hornets)
Polistes
spp.,
pupae Japan
Vespa
japonica (author?)
Vespa spp.,
larvae
Vespula
lewisi (author?), larva, pupa, adult
Vespula sp., larva,
pupa
Wasp larvae, pupae
Isoptera
Rhinotermitidae
Coptotermes
formosanus (author?)
Termitidae
Macrotermes
barnyi (author?)
Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera pupae not
found in soil
Bombycidae
(silkworm moths)
Bombyx
mori (Linn.), pupa
Cossidae
(carpenter moths, leopard moths)
Cossid spp., larvae Japan
Gelechiidae
Pectinophora
gossypiella Saunders, larva
Hepialidae
(ghost moths and swifts)
Hepialus
armoricanus Oberthur, larva with Cordyceps fungus
Hepialus
oblifurcus
Limacodidae
(slug caterpillars)
"Eucleid" sp.
(hag moth), pupa
Noctuidae
(noctuids)
Hydrillodes
morosa (author?), larval excreta
Pyralidae
(snout and grass moths)
Aglossa
dimidiata (author?), larval excreta
Saturniidae
(giant sikworm moths)
Antheraea
pernyi (Guérin-Méneville), pupa
Saturnia
pyretorum (Westw.), larva
Sphingidae
(sphinx or hawk-moths)
Clanis
bilineata
Sphinx moth larvae
Mantodea
Mantid spp.
Odonata
Dragonfly nymphs, adults
Orthoptera
Acrididae
(short‑horned grasshoppers)
Acrida
lata Motschulsky, adult
Locusta
migratoria Linn.
Locusta
migratoria manilensis Megen
Oxya
chinensis Thunberg
Oxya
japonica japonica Willemse, adult
Oxya
sinuosa Mistshenko, adult
Oxya
velox Fabr.
Oxya
yezoensis Shiracki
Locusts/grasshoppers
Blattidae
(roaches)
Periplaneta
Periplaneta
australasiae (Fabr.)
Gryllidae
(crickets)
Crickets
Superfamily
Tettigonioidea
Tettigonioid sp.
Gryllotalpidae
(mole crickets)
Mole crickets
Plecoptera
Stonefly spp., nymphs Japan
Trichoptera
Family
uncertain
Stenopsyche
griseipennis MacLachan, larva
A main characteristic of Chinese medicine is described in
an old saying that drugs and food are homologous in their function for human
health (Shen et al 1997). In keeping
with this, in
According to Hoffmann, Bodenheimer and others, the
Cantonese are the most entomophagous of the Chinese, but many insects such as
locusts, water beetles, silkworm pupae and others are marketed widely in the
country. Not all are considered
necessarily as health foods. Of the
giant water bug, Lethocerus indicus,
Hoffmann says, "They are considered a delicacy and are eaten because they
are relished; no medicinal value is ascribed to them." In general,
according to Bodenheimer, "the insects are taken as accessory food and
used as a dish which sometimes is considered as a delicacy." The pupae of the silkworm, Antheraea pernyi, are one such
luxury. Farmers who have them may give
them to their friends or relatives as "a special gift."
In both historical and modern
The second most widely eaten insect food in modern
As happened in Japan, Pemberton (1994) has documented for
South Korea the increased marketing of the rice-field grasshopper (known as metdugi) following reduced use of
pesticides. Canned silkworm (Bombyx mori) pupae are also popular (as
they are elsewhere in East Asia) and are found in the markets in Seoul. They
are also exported. They can be bought in
Asian foodshops in the United States, including in Madison, Wisconsin, where,
according to a shopkeeper they are a popular item in the local Korean
community.
CHINA
Donovan (1798, p.6) quotes an earlier undisclosed
author saying, "Under the roots of the canes is found a large white grub,
which being fried in oil is eaten as a dainty by the Chinese," and that
"the aurelias [pupae] of the silk worm which is cultivated in China, after
the silk is wound off, furnish an article for the table." Donovan states that Scarabaeus molossus Linn. and S. bucephalus are both very common in
China, and of the grub found in cane roots, he states, "Perhaps this is
the larva of Scarabaeus molossus,
which, like many other of the Scarabaei, may live sedentary in the ground, and
subsist on the roots of plants: the
general description and abundance of this insect in China favours such
opinion." Darwin (1800,
p. 364), possibly drawing on the same early author, mentions that "the
aurelia of the silk-worm, after the silk is wound off, and the white
earth-grub, and the larva of the sphinx moth, furnish articles at the table,
and are said to be delicious."