Table 4 Inventory of edible insects used by members of the Tangsa tribe of Eastern Arunachal Pradesh
Scientific name | Order | Family | English name | Vernacular name | Seasonal availability | Mode of intake | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Aspongopus nepalensis Westwood 1837 | Hemiptera | Pentatomidae | Bug | Shiphon | Dec- Feb | Fried or roasted after removal of stink gland that tastes bitter | Sometimes consumption causes psychiatric disorder |
Tessaratoma quadrata Distant 1902 | Hemiptera | Pentatomidae | Bug | Shipho/ Nagoo | Jan- Mar | Roasted | |
Unidentified | Hemiptera | Cicadidae | Cicada | Kapchera | April- Aug | Roasted | Generally consumed by children |
Apis (cerana) indica (Fabricius 1798) | Hymenoptera | Apidae | Honeybee | Yankung/ yakay | Nov- Jan | Immature stages and honey is being consumed; larvae are also being consumed, boiled | |
Apis mellifera Linnaeus 1758 | Hymenoptera | Apidae | Honeybee | Yakay | Nov- Jan | Immature sages and honey are being consumed | Honey is used widely as medicinal agent |
Unidentified | Hymenoptera | Vespidae | Wasp | Yanjung | Oct- Dec | Immature are being consumed | |
Eumenes sp. | Hymenoptera | Vespidae | Wasp | Longli | Nov- Dec | Generally larval stage is being consumed, when wings are not developed, fried | |
Vespa orientalis Linnaeus 1771 | Hymenoptera | Vespidae | Hornet | Yandok | Nov- Feb | Immature stages are boiled | |
Oecophylla smaragdina Fabricius 1775 | Hymenoptera | Formicidae | Red ant | Saisho | Round the year | Larvae and pupae boiled or fried |