Caterpillars on the menu
Location: 200km East of Kinshasa
July 29, 2011 12:19 am
Dear Bugman,
Here in Congo there are a few species of caterpillars which are harvested, smoked and sold for food in the local markets. The ones in the photo were taken on the Bateke plateau about 200km east of Kinshasa in mid June when they are in season. Can you help us ID the species or at least the genus ? Thanks !
Signature: Nick

Kanni, or other Giant Silkworm???

Dear Nick,
We are still working on a species or genus identification for you, but we did locate an image online that looked very similar on the African Moths website.  It is the caterpillar of the Pallid Emperor, Cirina forda, and we have found several references to the caterpillar being edible and eaten.  On the World’s Largest Saturniidae website, we learned:  “In Nigeria the larvae are picked from Sheabutter trees, are called ‘Kanni’, and are widely eaten after being boiled and sun dried. In the Congo the larvae are eaten in “Vegetable Soup”, a valuable human food source.“  We also located this pdf of a technical paper entitled The Protein Quality of Cirina forda …  Caterpillar. We are not confident that the identification is correct, and we are contacting Bill Oehlke to see if he can provide any information.  We will copy him on this response as well.

Bill Oehlke responds
Daniel,
They are either Cirina forda or one of the Imbrasia or Gonimbrasia species. I am pretty sure they are Cirina forda
Bill Oehlke

Request from David Gracer
Hi Daniel,
I’d be most grateful if you’d be willing to either send me Nick’s email or forward this inquiry to Nick, who’d submitted the image from Congo.  I’d love to learn what he’s been seeing and if his interest is research-based.  In any case I’m starting to draw material for the next issue of the Food Insects Newsletter and if Nick would be willing to share his images and notes I think that the community of people involved would be most appreciative.  Data on this kind of food resource is always scant at best.
Thanks a lot,
Dave

Daniel,
Thanks much for the information on the caterpillars.
David,
I would be happy to help with images and research.  I am actually an Oceanographer by training and amateur naturalist.  I am located in Kinshasa and have work sites in Bandundu where the caterpillar pictures were taken.  As a Peace Corps Volunteer in the late 80′s in Bandundu, smoked caterpillars were the most affordable animal protein available to us on our modest stipends.  On our last trip to Bukanga Lonzo, last month,  we stayed at the mission there and the good fathers there prepared a nice dish of caterpillars and stewed cassava greens.  Do tell me what kind of data you need and I will try to get it here in Kinshasa and if not too late, in september-october when I plan to go back to Bandundu to monitor our programs there.
Cheers,
Nick

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Big caterpillar in Cali
Location: South Lake Tahoe, Ca.
July 17, 2011 11:10 pm
We camped In South Lake Tahoe the week of July 9 – 16. Once we got there my daughter
instantly found one of these large caterpillars. Over the next couple of days, we found
them everywhere. We asked the camp host what they were, but she didn’t know. She said in
the twenty years she had been there, that was the first time she saw them.
They average about 3 1/2 inches in length, and about 1/2 to 5/8 inch in diameter. Every
time we found one they were walking on the ground, so we couldn’t tell what they were
eating. By the end of the week, we would only see one or two.
Signature: Eric and Talia, Bughunters

Pandora Pine Moth Caterpillar

Dear Eric and Talia,
We identified your caterpillar as Coloradia pandora pandora, the Pandora Pine Moth according to the Butterflies and Moths of North America website, which states:  “Females deposit eggs in groups on pine needles or on the tree trunk; eggs hatch within 3-7 weeks. Young caterpillars are gregarious, with 3-5 caterpillars feeding together on the same pine needle. Older caterpillars feed alone. Two years are required to complete development. Second- or third-stage caterpillars overwinter the first year in tight clusters, resume feeding in the spring, pupate in June or July, and spend the second winter in underground pupation chambers lined with silk and plant litter. Some can remain in the pupal stage for up to 5 years before emerging as adults.“  Sadly, there is not a photo of the caterpillar on that website.  Luckily BugGuide has a photo that matches.

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What is this bug?
Location: San Diego California
June 21, 2011 11:12 pm
Hi, I was wondering if you could identify this catipillar
Signature: Robert Ramirez

Nevada Buck Moth Caterpillar

Hi Robert,
This is now the third report we have gotten in the past few weeks that there are unusually large numbers of Nevada Buck Moth Caterpillars, Hemileuca nevadensis, in the San Diego area this year.  See here and here for additional photos and information.  Please do not handle Nevada Buck Moth Caterpillars or any related species as the spines can cause a nasty contact dermatitis.

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Big Cacoon
Location: Southren WI
May 29, 2011 9:35 am
My Daughter found this in the woods behind our house (southren WI). She is a bug nut and asked me what it was. We have looked in several books but can’t figure it out. Its alive and moving and the topic of all talk at our house. We would love to know what it is.
Signature: Michael Roehl

Royal Moth Pupa

Dear Michael,
This is definitely a Moth Pupa and it is a large moth.  We do not believe it is a Sphinx Moth Pupa, though they bury themselves underground to pupate.  We are more inclined to identify this as a Giant Silkmoth Pupa, more specifically a Royal Moth Pupa in the subfamily Ceratocampinae, possibly an Imperial Moth or a Regal Moth.  Here is a matching photo of an unidentified Royal Moth pupa from BugGuide for comparison.  Here is a photo of an Imperial Moth Pupa from BugGuide and here is a photo of a Regal Moth Pupa from BugGuide.  You can see the similarities, though our inclination is to favor the Imperial Moth.  We love your photograph, especially the thoughtfulness of having the model change into an insect themed wardrobe.

Daniel,
Thanks so much for taking the time to help us out. My daughter is thrilled, who new you could have so much fun with a pupa. We have it in a “Critter Cage” if it hatches sucsessfully I will send you a picture.
Michael

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