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Tag Archives: Edible Insects: Tasty Morsels

Backswimmer, NOT Water Boatman are Edible

Insect found swimming in the pool
May 17, 2010
I’ve never seen a bug like this before and was curious if you knew what it was.
I found it swimming in my pool (I just shocked the pool yesterday, so it might have some chlorine resistance…). It was swimming underwater and was moving pretty well, using its larger legs to swim while the smaller ones were pressed against its body (it almost looked like a tiny frog at first, by the way that it moved, except that the legs were hinging near the center of its body instead of the back).
When I fished it out of the water, it didn’t seem overly mobile on land, although it was able to slowly scoot itself about. Its body was about 2 cm long.
A first time bug hunter, Jason
Folsom, CA (foothills near Sacramento)

water boatman jason 300x243 Backswimmer, NOT Water Boatman are Edible

Water Boatman

Hi Jason,
This is a Water Boatman in the family Corixidae, but we are uncertain of the species.  BugGuide has numerous genera but many look alike to us.  Clumsy on land, Water Boatmen are excellent swimmers and fliers.

Correction:  Backswimmer
Boatman Pic actually Notonecta?
September 28, 2010
Hello, Friends of the Bugs,
While trying to ID a bug that had landed on our deck here in Edmonds,WA, I discovered that you have the same picture on your site under two different headings/labels.  It comes up under “Water Boatman are Edible” when “Boatman” is typed into the search box.  Your answer to that post was to say it was Corixidae.  The picture matches “my” bug exactly, and I had also come to the tentative conclusion after initially looking in Bug Guide, of Corixidae, but wasn’t convinced.  However, on BugGuide I happened to see another pic that also matched, was mislabeled as Corixidae, and someone had posted that it was Notonecta.  Looking further online, I agree 100%.
If I type Notonecta or Backswimmer into your search box, it comes up with a post titled “Backswimmer” which appears to be the exact picture, this time correctly IDd as Notonecta.  I thought you’d like to know so a note can be added (or however you want to deal with it, if at all) to the Boatman one, correcting the ID.  It might be confusing to some, such as myself, who might not accidently happen upon the correct ID and be thinking it is a Boatman.  I think many folks, like myself, might initially do a search for Boatman upon finding one of these bugs, since I was not familiar with the existence of Backswimmers.  But now I know, and I would have really wondered how a waterbug got on my 2nd story deck, except you explained they can fly well.  The 7/22/10 pic of a Backswimmer swimming (on its back, of course) highlighting the abdominal hairs is especially nice.
I did not bother to submit all the pics I took because I found the ID, as you already have several pictures, including one from 2005. I only attached one for reference.  Later, the Backswimmer had flown away.  Thanks again for such a great site.
Cheers, Dee Warnock

Hi Dee,
Thanks for bringing this to our attention.  We did not realize that Baffled in Santa Cruz submitted the exact same image as Jason.

Posted 18 May 2010 § Toe Biters and other Aquatic True Bugs ‡ Comments (2) ° Also tagged:
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Giant Twig Wilter from South Africa: Adult and Nymphs

Unidentified Grasshopper like insect
May 1, 2010
Good day.
I found these strange looking insects in my garden this morning, never seen anything like them before.
There are obviously male and females in the picture, I just can’t seem to phathom out which is which.
Jaco van der Merwe
Gauteng, South Africa

coreid bugs south africa joco 300x202 Giant Twig Wilter from South Africa: Adult and Nymphs

Giant Twig Wilter: Adult and Nymphs

Hi there
I have subsecuently found it on your site as the Giant Twig Wilter”
Thank

Hi Joco,
Your insects are Big Legged Bugs or Leaf Footed Bugs in the family Coreidae, and there is a winged adult with five immature nymphs that appear to be in various stages of growth.  We checked your Giant Twig Wilter suspicion, and we believe it is a related but different species.  The nymph from February 2008 we identified as possibly a Giant Twig Wilter, Carlisis wahlbergi.  Our current web search on the Beetles in the Bush website revealed what appears to be an adult of a different species, Petascelis remipes, identified as a Magodo or Giant Twig Wilter, but it is also in the family Coreidae, an identification matched on the Beetles of Africa website.  Your adult insect matches an image on the Field Guide to Insects of South Africa that is identified as Carlisis wahlbergi, back to our original identification in 2008, and this information is provided:  “Identification:  Medium-sized (body length 20-26 mm).  boldly marked, with tan and black fore wings, and white- and black-banded antennae and abdominal margins.  Hind legs enlarged.  Biology:  As many as 9,000 individuals recorded on single Gardenia volkensii shrubs, which then failed to flower but did not wilt.  Can spray defensive secretion up to 15 cm.  Habitat:  Bushveld and gardens.”  This exactly matches our own identification in January 2007.  Alas, the link we used to identify it is no longer active.

Posted 01 May 2010 § Leaf Footed Bugs ‡ Comments (2) ° Also tagged:

Golden Silk Spider from Australia

What kind of spider is this?
April 23, 2010
I was on a uni field trip in the Toomba Nature Refuge/ Great Basalt National Park in Queensland, Australia (April 2010) and I almost walked straight into this guy’s web. The spider was quite big, I’d say a bit smaller than a person’s hand length. The area was grassy eucalypt woodland and it was early in the morning. In the picture the spider has a big parcel in its hands. Not sure what it was, just assumed that it was food. Anyway, his colouring is pretty awesome!
Esther
Great Basalt National Park, QLD, Australia

nephila australia esther 261x300 Golden Silk Spider from Australia

Golden Silk Spider

Hi Esther,
Collectively, Spiders in the genus Nephila are known as Golden Silk Spiders because of the color of the silk they spin.  Australia has several species in the genus Nephila and we believe your spider is Nephila edulis, based on the Brisbane Insect website, which indicates the spider is commonly called the Golden Orb Weaver, a name shared with the OzAnimals website.  On Wikipedia, the Latin meaning of the species name edulis is translated to edible, and there is mention of this spider being roasted and eaten in New Guinea:  “While it is not entirely clear why this particular species is considered edible, it is known that several Nephila species are considered a delicacy in New Guinea, where they are plucked by the legs from their webs and lightly roasted over an open fire.”

Posted 26 April 2010 § Orb Weavers ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged:
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Striped Hawkmoth Caterpillar in Israel

ID request for a suspicious caterpillar.
April 18, 2010
Dear Madam/ Sir, good day.
I live in a Kibbutz in the Arava desert in southern Israel, and we have a minor infestation of quite large caterpillars.
Since they crawl everywhere, including the kindergarten yards, and there are unfounded rumors regarding their toxicity and possibly their being hosts for wasps (of that kind this area is known), I wanted to try to identify them.
I believe to have identified them as- Sphingidae, Hyles livornica. I don’t believe this species to be dangerous, and don’t know if it’s a wasps’ host.
Location: Hot and dry desert (56º 29′ Long. 57 º 34′ Lat., 15-35 Centigrade, Approx. 30% Humidity.)
Size: 7-8 Cm. long, about 6-7Mm thick.
Characteristics: One ‘horn’ at lower quarters, usually black tipped. No ‘Hair’, with barely visible mandibles.
Nutrition: Seems to be feeding off a single desert plant, which has sprouted abundantly in dry creek beds due to extremely unusual rainy season. (Four days of rain and several flash floods).
Behaviour: Seems to feel at ease either on its plant or on sand and hot asphalt road. They are seen to be crawling at all times of day and night.
Defense mechanism: When attacked by insects such as ants the shake their upper or entire body violently. When touched or attacked by larger animals or people they excrete a greenish sticky liquid. Small dogs and cats bite at them but don’t eat them, and do not seem to be affected.
Please assist me to calm things here- or to issue a ‘remove on sight’ warning…
Attached are photos of the caterpillars and they plant.
Many thanks in advance, Itai Bawnik.
56º 29′ Long. 57 º 34′ Lat

hyles cats israel itai 300x168 Striped Hawkmoth Caterpillar in Israel

Striped Hawkmoth Caterpillars

Dear Itai,
Your identification is correct.  These are the caterpillars of the Striped Hawkmoth, Hyles livornica, which is profiled on the Sphingidae of the Western Palaearctic website.  Like its counterpart in North America, the Striped Morning Sphinx, Hyles lineata which can also become quite plentiful in arid environments, the Striped Hawkmoth becomes extremely plentiful in years when conditions are right.  Wet winters produce abundant desert vegetation and the population of the caterpillar and later emergent moth soars.  We imagine our resident entomophage, David Gracer, is salivating at the thought of feasting on the edible abundance your photo illustrates.  Many large wasps do feed on caterpillars, but believing that the caterpillars are hosts to the wasps is not an accurate assessment.  Other nonstinging wasp relatives like Braconids and Chalcids do parasitize caterpillars, but these wasps are so tiny they probably escape unnoticed and they pose no threat to humans or other animals.  Rather than being terrified of the harmless caterpillar of the Striped Hawkmoth, the inhabitants of your kibbutz should learn to appreciate the wonders of nature around them, and to realize that the desert dwelling caterpillars undoubtedly provided much needed nourishment in ancient times, though this probably went unrecorded.

hyles cat israel itai 300x213 Striped Hawkmoth Caterpillar in Israel

Striped Hawkmoth Caterpillar

Posted 19 April 2010 § Hornworms ‡ Comments (1) ° Also tagged:

June Beetle from China

Blue-Eyed Golden June Bug
March 24, 2010
I sent you some photos of this odd looking Chinese insect a few days ago. Did you get them? I swear, it’s not a Photoshop job. It has eyes like Paul Newman and more gold leaf than a temple. What is this thing? I have dozens more photos. Let me know if you want them. Thanks!
Mike J.
Dongguan, China

june beetle china mike 300x225 June Beetle from China

Unknown June Beetle

Dear Mike,
We did not see your earlier submission.  We are not certain of the species, but we will post your June Beetle in the hopes that one of our readers can make an identification.

Hi Daniel,
Thanks for your reply. Here are the shots I originally submitted and the corresponding text.
Hope you can figure it out. There are lots of these guys flying around here in the evening; similar to Junebugs back in the US midwest.
Mike

Beetles in China
I see these frequently in South China. They fly in the evening like June Bugs. The golden shell, big blue eyes and fern-like feelers are pretty cool. This guy found his way inside tonight. Wouldn’t let him leave without some photos. Thought you’d enjoy these.
Mike J.
Dongguan, China

june beetle china 2 mike 300x187 June Beetle from China

Unknown June Beetle

Posted 24 March 2010 § Scarab Beetles ‡ Comments (1) ° Also tagged:

Winter Stonefly or Snowfly

Late winter bug… another snowfly?
March 21, 2010
Hello! This photo was taken today (21 Mar 10) inside my house. We are right above the Petawawa River. These bugs take over the outside of my house around this time each year, covering the front and back doors, and eventually make their way inside. The one photographed is only about 1 cm long, but the fully grown ones are brown and can be about 3 cm (1″) long with wings on their backs. The small ones don’t really fly (“fall with style” maybe) but the bigger ones flutter around a little bit.
Thank you so much! My neighbour and I have been going crazy trying to figure out who these visitors are each year.
J. Ross
Petawawa, Ontario

snowfly ross 300x205 Winter Stonefly or Snowfly

Snowfly

Hi J,
Thanks for sending in another photo of our Bug of the Month for March, the Winter Stonefly or Snowfly.

Posted 21 March 2010 § Stoneflies and Snowflies ‡ Comments (1) ° Also tagged:

Giant Mesquite Bug Nymphs from Mexico

A Strange and colourful beetle – What is it??
March 21, 2010
I found this cluster of beetles in Cancun Mexico this past week. I found them in the late morning, and I would have been scared by their size (about as long as my thumb) if they weren’t so beautiful! I’d love to know what they are and any extra information about them!
Bekki
Cancun, Mexico

thasus mexico bekki 300x227 Giant Mesquite Bug Nymphs from Mexico

Giant Mesquite Bug Nymphs

Hi Bekki,
This is not a beetle, but rather a true bug in a different order.  These are immature Giant Mesquite Bug in the genus Thasus, but we are not certain if it is a different species, or a subspecies, or merely a color variation of Thasus neocalifornicus, a species found in Arizona and California that is represented on BugGuide.  We suspect it is either Thasus acutangulus or Thasus gigas, both of which are found in Mexico.  A Threatened Edible Insects in Hidalgo Mexico website indicates the following about Thasus gigas:  “Xamues (Thasus gigas Burm.) (Hemiptera-Coreidae)  Thasus gigas live in the “mezquite” tree (Prosopis juliflora (S) DC), their only host, and are also known as the “mezquite worm”. The species was very abundant in this area, but now that a larger number of adults and larvae are gathered for sale rather than for personal consumption, the abundance of this species has declined. This species is univoltine, and it is collected in the spring [14]. Elderly people in the study area who eat this species, say that they can currently only find few specimens at a time, allowing a one to two month supply, while in the past they could gather enough to feed on for six months. They refer to this species as the “meat we eat”. This insect is greatly appreciated because of its sweet taste, which is rare in the rural areas. After they are gathered, the insects are dried on a griddle, stored in plastic mesh bags, and hung in the kitchen where they provide a daily meal.“  Additional searching leads us to believe that this may be Thasus acutangulus, based on the photo of an immature specimen on the Alex Wild Photography website.  There is also a photo on Flickr.

Posted 21 March 2010 § Leaf Footed Bugs ‡ Comments (2) ° Also tagged:

Bagworm

pls identify this ootheca(?)
March 13, 2010
I’ve been assuming/hoping this is a mantid ootheca, but it doesn’t look like any ootheca I’ve seen on the web. Is it a mantid ootheca or some less desirable creature? Found on a Japanese Maple tree in zip 43206. I want to hatch the mantids indoors to release in my garden…
Thanks! Tony
43206, Central Ohio, Urban micro climate

bagworm tony 180x300 Bagworm

Bagworm

Hi Tony,
Theoretically, this is the cocoon of a Bagworm, a moth in the family Psychidae.  You may see additional examples and some species identifications on BugGuide.  We wrote theoretically earlier because the female Bagworm is wingless, and she only crawls out of her cocoon to mate.  After mating, she returns to the cocoon and lays her eggs, so the cocoon may become an oothica of sorts.

Thanks Daniel!  I guess I knew it wasn’t what I wanted or I wouldn’t have asked!?  At least now I know that I really do need to order a mantid oothica.  You guys offer a great service to us laymen!  Thanks again.

Posted 13 March 2010 § Bagworm ‡ Comments (1) ° Also tagged:

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