Table 2.
Inventory of edible insects used by members of the Nocte tribe of Eastern Arunachal Pradesh
| Scientific name | Order | Family | English name | Vernacular name | Seasonal availability | Mode of intake | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unidentified |
Ephemeroptera |
|
Mayfly |
Along/ Phin |
Sept- Nov |
Roasted |
|
|
Termes sp. |
Isoptera |
Termitidae |
Termite |
Akhun |
May- June |
Roasted with local edible leaves, wings discarded |
|
|
Odontotermes sp. |
Isoptera |
Odontotermitidae |
|
Akhun |
May- June |
Roasted with local edible leaves, wings discarded |
|
| Unidentified |
Odonata |
Gomphidae |
Odonate larvae of dragonfly |
Moogi |
Sept - Oct |
Roasted with local edible leaves |
|
|
Brachytrupes sp. |
Orthoptera |
Gryllidae |
Cricket |
Loothong/ Idmon/ Churu |
May- Sept |
Antennae, wings and anal cerci discarded, bind with local leaves and roasted |
|
|
Brachytrupes orientalis (Burmeister 1838) |
Orthoptera |
Gryllidae |
Cricket |
Loothong/ Idmon/ Churu |
May- Sept |
Antennae, wings and anal cerci discarded, bind with local leaves and roasted |
|
|
Macrolyristes sp. |
Orthoptera |
Tettigoniidae |
Katydid |
Kokchug/ Headboon |
Sept- Oct |
Antennae, wings and anal cerci discarded, bind with local edible leaves and roasted |
|
| Unidentified |
Orthoptera |
Tettigoniidae |
Katydid |
Kotkot |
Aug- Nov |
Roasted |
|
|
Aspongopus nepalensis Westwood 1837 |
Hemiptera |
Pentatomidae |
Bug |
Longheto/ Seve |
Dec- Feb |
Boiled or prepared as chutney |
Sometimes consumption causes psychiatric disorder |
|
Tessaratoma quadrata Distant 1902 |
Hemiptera |
Pentatomidae |
Bug |
Siviliangkhan/ Heta |
Jan- Mar |
Wings and appendages discarded, bodies are roasted (“gi”) |
Nocte people reported secretion from backside is quite dangerous for eye |
|
Halyomorpha picus (Fabricius 1794) |
Hemiptera |
Pentatomidae |
Bug |
Longliasivi/ Longlia |
Nov- Feb |
Wings and appendages discarded, bodies are roasted (“gi”) |
|
|
Apis (cerana) indica (Fabricius 1798) |
Hymenoptera |
Apidae |
Honeybee |
Nyakui |
Nov- Jan |
Immature stages are consumed, boiled or roasted |
Honey is used widely as medicinal agent |
|
Apis mellifera Linnaeus 1758 |
Hymenoptera |
Apidae |
Honeybee |
Nyakui |
Nov- Jan |
Immature stages are consumed, boiled or roasted |
Honey is used widely as medicinal agent |
| Unidentified |
Hymenoptera |
Apidae or Vespidae |
Bee or wasp |
Nyakui |
Nov - Jan |
Immature stages are consumed, boiled or roasted |
|
|
Xylocopa sp |
Hymenoptera |
Xylocopidae |
Bee |
Nyakui |
Nov- Mar |
Immature stages are consumed, boiled or roasted |
|
| Oecophylla smaragdina Fabricius 1775 | Hymenoptera | Formicidae | Red ant | Aukhithio/Thapi/Khawa | Round the year | People use to take the hive and treat it with hot water, keep it as it is in pan and roasted it with masala |