Table 1.
Insect species eaten or registered as food in various countries
| Nation | Number of species | Edible insects: popular or registered as food |
|---|---|---|
| Angola (Lautenschläger et al., 2017) | 38 | Cirina forda, Imbrasia epimethea, Imbrasia obscura, Imbrasia truncata Aurivillius, Gonimbrasia (Nudaurelia) alopia, Gonimbrasia (Nudaurelia) dione, Pseudantheraea discrepans, Micragone cana, Anaphe panda, Anaphe venata Butler, Notodontidae sps, Sciatta inconcisa Walker, Gastroplakaeis rubroanalis Wichgraf, Rhynchophorus phoenicis, Brachytrupes membranaceus |
| Botswana (Obopile and Seeletso, 2013) | 27 | Mopane worm (Imbrasia belina Westwood), arrow sphinx (Lophostethus dumolinii Angas), harvester termite (Hodotermes mossambicus [Hagen]), African thief ant (Carebara vidua F. Smith), red locust (Normadacris septemfasciata Serville), brown locust (Locustana pardalina Walker), desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria Forskal), pallid emperor moth (Cirina forda Westwood), scarab larvae (Oryctes boas Fabr.), common stick, grasshopper (Acrida acuminata Dirsh.), honey bee (Apis mellifera L.), cicada (Monomatapa insingnis Distant), stingless bee (Plebeina hildebrandti Friese, Hypotrigona gribodoi Magretti), elegant grasshopper (Zonocerus elegans Thunb.), convolvulus hawk moth. (Agrius convolvuli L.) |
| Brazil (Costa-Neto, 2013) | 135 | Nymphs (in the rainy season) and adults (in the dry season) of Rhammatocerus schistocercoides (Rehn), grasshoppers, the abdomen of red ants (probably Atta sexdens Linnaeus), termites (dáane, keétto, maáki, kanaliére), ants (kaiwiri, kadáadali, píite, kóowhenai), beetles (móodi, haliére, déeto), caterpillars (kadaápali and six more), leafhoppers (tsiiríto, máami), and crickets (dzíiro) |
| Central African Republic (Niassay and Ekesi, 2021) | 96 | Caterpillars, termites, crickets and palm weevils |
| China (Feng et al., 2018) | 324 | Silkworms (Bombyx mori L.) and tussah silkworms (Antheraea pernyi Guerin-M´eneville), Mealworms (Tenebrio molitor L.), ants (Polyrhachis dives), The cicada slough of some species and the adult (Aspongopus chinensis Dalla), scale insects and stinkbugs, termites [Odontotermes formosanus (Shiraki)], dragonfly (Anax parthenope [Selys]), |
| Democratic Republic of Congo (Bomolo et al., 2017) | > 65 | Caterpillars [Elaphrodes lactea Gaede, Lobobunaea saturnus Fabricius, Cinabra hyperbius (Westwood), Bunaea alcinoe (Stoll), Cirina forda (Westwood), Imbrasia rubra Bouvier, Gonimbrasia richelmanni Weymer, and Athletes semialba (Sonthonnax)], termites (Macrotermes falciger Gerstäcker), a grasshopper (Ruspolia differens Serville) |
| India (Sushma, 2019) | 303 | Silkworms (Bombyx mori, Antheraea mylitta, A. proyeli, Philosamia ricini, Antheraea assamensis), giant water bugs (a.k.a. jebangkori, Lethocercus indicus), crickets, beetles, bees, wasps, grasshoppers, locusts, termites, and dragonflies |
| Japan (Sun-Waterhouse et al., 2016) | > 117 | Grasshoppers, honeybee drone larvae, the larvae of yellow jacket wasps (Vespula and Dolichovespula spp.; hebo), silkworm pupae |
| Korea, Republic of (Kim et al., 2014) | > 25 | Grasshoppers (Oxya japonica Thungberg), silkworm larvae and pupae (Bombyx mori, L.), Bombyx batryticatus, mealworm larvae (Tenebrio molitor L.), white-spotted flower chafer beetle larvae (Protaetia brevitarsis), the Japanese rhinoceros beetle larvae (Allomyrina dichotoma), two-spotted cricket (Gryllus bimaculatus), giant mealworm beetle larvae (Zophobas atratus), honey bee drone pupae (Apis mellifera L.) |
| Mexico (Tang, 2022; van Huis, 2013; van Huis et al., 2013) | 549 | gusanos (maguey worms), jumiles (stink bugs), chicatanas (giant winged ants), escamoles (ant larvae), ahuatle (water-fly eggs), cuchamas (green caterpillars), chpulines (grasshoppers), libelulas (dragonflies), escarabajos (beetles) |
| Nigeria (Alamu et al., 2013) | 40 | Termites (Macrotermes nigeriensis, Macrotermes bellicosus, Macrotermes natalensis), crickets (Brachytrupes membranaceus, Gymnogryllus lucens, Gryllotalpa africana), grasshoppers (Cytacanthacris naeruginosus, Zonocerus variegatus), weevils (Rhynchophorus phoenicis, Heteroligus meles), beetles (Analeptes trifasciata, Aphodius rufipes, Oryctes boas, Oryctes monoceros, Heteroligus meles), honey bee (Apis mellifera), african silkworms (Anaphe venata, Anaphe infracta, Anaphe recticulata), caterpillars (Bunaea alcinoe, Lepidoptara litoralia, Cirina forda), and a stink bug (Nezara viridula) |
| Thailand (Hanboonsong et al., 2013; Sirimungkararat et al., 2010) | 194 | Bamboo caterpillars (Omphisa fuscidentalis), house crickets (Acheta domesticus), giant water bugs (Lethocerus indicus), grasshoppers, and palm weevils (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus) |
| South Africa (Hlongwane et al., 2021) | 50 | Caterpillars (Gynanisa caterpillar, Imbrasia belina, Cirina forda), termites (Macrotermes species), stink bugs (Encosternum delegorguei), grasshoppers (Locustana and Zonocerous sp.), bees (Carebara vidua), and true bugs (Cicadoidea spp) |