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Tag Archives: Edible Insects: Tasty Morsels

Ello Sphinx Caterpillar

Sphinx Moth Caterpillar
Location: Fort Lauderdale, FL
December 21, 2011 12:26 pm
I believe this is a Sphinx Moth. It is feeding on Crown of Thorns. I’ve seen them over the summer before, but never in December.
PS. LOVE your site. Thank you
Signature: Anthony Argenti

ello cat anthony 300x225 Ello Sphinx Caterpillar

Ello Sphinx Caterpillar

Dear Anthony,
Thanks for the compliment.  We believe we have correctly identified your caterpillar as an Ello Sphinx, Erinnyis ello.  We did the original identification based on information on the Sphingidae of the Americas website which indicates that they feed on plants in the family Euphorbiaceae which include poinsettia and crown of thorns.  The caterpillar is also reported to be quite variable in coloration.  BugGuidenotes:  “Larval characters: (2)  Horn reduced to a low point, arising from an elevated angular hump.  In the last instar, the horn is reduced to a nub.  Eyespot over the third thoracic segment is hidden in the resting caterpillar.  Ornately banded thoracic and prolegs.  Length to 7cm.   Erinnyis spp. caterpillars come in a seemingly endless variety. “ 

ello cat anthony 2 300x225 Ello Sphinx Caterpillar

Ello Sphinx Caterpillar

One of your photos shows the ornately banded thoracic legs.

ello cat anthony 3 300x225 Ello Sphinx Caterpillar

Ello Sphinx Caterpillar showing banded thoracic legs

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Posted 22 December 2011 § Hornworms ‡ Comments (2) ° Also tagged:
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

White-Lined Sphinx Caterpillar

Strange Caterpillar
Location: Olathe, Kansas
October 3, 2011 7:22 pm
We saw this caterpillar today in the parking lot of a local nature center. No one in our group had ever seen one like it before. It was about three to four inches long and about half an inch thick.
We tried to shift it onto a piece of paper to move it into the grass; it reacted by violently wriggling side to side, almost like a snake. (We stopped trying and left it alone.)
Any idea what it is?
Signature: Joyce and Josh

whitelined sphinx cat joyce 300x222 White Lined Sphinx Caterpillar

White-Lined Sphinx Caterpillar

Dear Joyce and Josh,
This is the highly variable caterpillar of the White Lined Sphinx or Striped Morning Sphinx, Hyles lineata.  In addition to this black form, some individuals are green and others are yellow.  The caterpillars of the White-Lined Sphinx are edible.

Thanks very much for the information!  We appreciate it but we will not be eating any White-Lined Sphinx caterpillars anytime soon.

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Posted 04 October 2011 § Hornworms ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged:

Stink Bug found in Salad

almost lunch
Location: Salad Greens purchased in NS, Canda
September 28, 2011 7:46 am
This was in a box of salad greens I opened in June 2011. I am remiss that I don’t remember the country of origin for the box. It was so unique looking that I snapped some pictures to try and identify but that has not proven to be very easy.
Thanks!
Signature: Angela

stinkbug salad angela 300x211 Stink Bug found in Salad

Stink Bug

Hi Angela,
This is some species of Stink Bug, and we hope you derive consolation from the knowledge that many Stink Bugs are edible, and should you have accidentally eaten it, there would probably not have been any adverse reactions.  Here is some information from the Girl Meets Bug website:  “Jumiles: also known as stink bugs. High in B vitamins, these are said to taste either bitter or like cinnamon, and may have tranquilizing and analgesic properties. Apparently, they can survive the cooking process, and thus are often eaten alive. The yearly Jumile Festival involves the eating of thousands of jumiles, and the crowning of a Jumile Queen.”  Sadly, it appears that information came from Wikipedia.

stinkbug salad angela 2 300x212 Stink Bug found in Salad

Stink Bug

Thanks for getting back to me. I really appreciate your time. Not sure I’ll try eating one if another shows up, but it is good to know it is an option.
Again, Thanks.
Angela

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Posted 29 September 2011 § Stink Bugs and Shield Bugs ‡ Comments (2) ° Also tagged:
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Fig Borer from Israel

Huge bug found in Israel
Location: Israel (Tel Aviv area)
September 20, 2011 5:35 am
Hello Daniel,
Thank you for this wonderful web site. This bug I found on my balcony on the 9th floor at the end of August 2011 in Israel. Well, I have never seen such a huge and beautiful bug, it looks like a prehistoric one. Wow!
My cat first discovered it and she started to play with it. When she touched him he started to move his head (like bowing) and was producing sounds of wooden branch creak. The size of the bug is 3 to 4 inches. Supposedly it can fly.
Well, I let him free in the nearby garden. My can was very disappointed. icon smile Fig Borer from Israel
Please identify it.
Thanks,
Signature: Julia K

batocera israel julia 300x200 Fig Borer from Israel

Fig Borer

Hi Julia,
Your cat discovered a Mango Stem Borer, Batocera rufomaculata.  In Israel where it causes damage to the trees in fig plantations, it is known as the Fig Borer.  You can see some links to other websites by viewing the earlier posting of a Mango Stem Borer from Israel.

Thank you Daniel!!! It so great that so quickly identified it, i will look into your link. Thanks a bunch!
Julia

Posted 20 September 2011 § Longhorn Beetles ‡ Comments (1) ° Also tagged:

Giant Mesquite Bug from Mexico

Found in Mexico, Satelite: Aug 27, 2011
Location: Mexico, Satelite
September 19, 2011 9:31 pm
Can you tell me the name of this bug and what family it belongs to. Also, does this bug have a stinger?
Signature: Rosa Maravillas

giant mesquite bug mexico rosa 300x231 Giant Mesquite Bug from Mexico

Giant Mesquite Bug

Hi Rosa,
This is a Giant Mesquite Bug or a close relative in the genus Thasus.  Giant Mesquite Bugs are in the family Coreidae, the Leaf Footed Bugs or Big Legged Bugs and they do not have stingers.  We frequently get requests to identify the brightly colored nymphs of the Giant Mesquite Bug, and you can see photos of the entire life cycle on Colin L. Miller’s wildlife website.

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Posted 20 September 2011 § Leaf Footed Bugs ‡ Comments (1) ° Also tagged:

Periodical Cicada: Brood XIII

Seventeen Year Cicada
Location: Glenview, Illinois
September 12, 2011 8:14 pm
Magicicada, image taken in June, 2007 in Cook County, IL. They will be back in 2024.
Signature: Venom

periodical cicada venom 300x206 Periodical Cicada: Brood XIII

Periodical Cicada: Brood XIII

Hi Venom,
We are happy you included the date of the sighting.  We were actually a bit shocked to be receiving a submission of a Periodical Cicada in September.  This is a member of Brood XIII, called the Northern Illinois Brood according to the Periodical Cicada Brood website.

Thanks for the email. I had submitted some images of the Spinyback Orbweaver spiders, and in looking thru some of my jpegs, I thought it would be interesting to submit the Cicada. I actually put up a site, www.seventeenyearcicada.com  in which I posted many images back in 2007.
I’m kind of obsessed with close-up images of insects so I hope to post more as time goes by.
Thanks again,
John Spina

Hi John,
Now that you have opened the door on photography, and since our editorial staff teaches photography, and since we are very interested in staged photographs as much as we are interested in perfectly representational photographs of bugs, we feel compelled to ask if you found the Cicada on the geranium inflorescence or if you placed it there.

Good question. I placed it there, simply for the contrasting colors. Those bugs want nothing to do with flowers, their native positions are usually on tree leaves. Odd, they simply mate and die, don’t devour vegetation, and have no natural predators…against the rules of nature.
Anyway, I found it to be a nice color combination. Once I shot the image, she flew away. So, the subtitle should read “placed on the backdrop for color effect only”.
John

Hi again John,
We would like to qualify your latest response.  While it is true that adult Cicadas do not feed on leaves, they do feed on sap.  Also, they have numerous natural predators.  The emergence of swarms of Periodical Cicadas provides a bounty of food for birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, insects and spiders as well as a host of other predators that you might not expect.  Cicadas falling onto the surface of water will feed fish, and with the current fad of entomophagy gaining popularity, even people are getting in in the Cicada eating action.  

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Posted 12 September 2011 § Cicadas ‡ Comments (2) ° Also tagged:

Toe-Biter results in argumental stalemate between spouses

Argument husband vs wife
Location: caledon, ontario, canada
August 13, 2011 12:29 pm
Good day,
Me and my husband are trying to identify a bug we found dead in the stairwell leading from our garage to the house. We are trying to determine if it is a beetle or a cochroache..hopefully you can end this argement.
Signature: Christine

toebiter christine 300x233 Toe Biter results in argumental stalemate between spouses

Toe-Biter

Stop arguing Christine.  You are both wrong.  This is a Giant Water Bug, also known as a Toe-Biter or Electric Light Bug.  It is an aquatic predator that can also fly quite well.  Close relatives from Thailand are quite large and are considered delicacies.  They are sold on the street by food vendors there.  Toe-Biters are among our most frequent identification requests.

Posted 13 August 2011 § Toe Biters and other Aquatic True Bugs ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged: ,

Mayfly from the UK

weird insect!
Location: Paddington, London, UK
August 10, 2011 5:20 am
hi there,
I have seen this couple of times in the gents toilet and wonder what that thing really is!!
Signature: any way possible

mayfly uk 300x166 Mayfly from the UK

Mayfly

Dear any way possible,
This is a Mayfly in the order Ephemeroptera.  Mayflies are fascinating insects that have aquatic larvae.  Sometimes adults are so plentiful the pavement under street lights becomes slick with their smashed bodies.  Mayflies are an important food source for fish, birds, insects and other insectivores.

Posted 10 August 2011 § Mayflies ‡ Comments (2) ° Also tagged:

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