Entomophagy is the habit of eating insects as food. Entomophagy is seen in a large number of taxonomic groups including insects (that eat other insects), birds and mammals. Orders See taxonomy Insects are invertebrates that are taxonomically referred to as the class Insecta. ...

The term is also used to describe human insect-eating habits that are common in some cultures in parts of the world including Central and South America, Africa, Asia and Australia, but uncommon and even taboo in some societies. Map of Central America Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. ... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... A world map showing the continent of Africa. ... World map showing the location of Asia. ...

Insects as human food

Some insects are eaten as larvae, others as adults. Over 1200 species of insects are used as food by people throughout the world. Commonly eaten insects and arachnids include grasshoppers, crickets, termites, ants, beetle larvae (grubs), moth caterpillars and pupae, spiders, tarantulas, and scorpions. A larva (Latin; plural larvae) is a juvenile form of animal with indirect development, undergoing metamorphosis (for example, insects or amphibians). ... Families Superfamily: Tridactyloidea Cylindrachaetidae Ripipterygidae Tridactylidae Superfamily: Tetrigoidea Tetrigidae Superfamily: Eumastacoidea Chorotypidae Episactidae Eumastacidae Euschmidtiidae Mastacideidae Morabidae Proscopiidae Thericleidae Superfamily: Pneumoroidea Pneumoridae Superfamily: Pyrgomorphoidea Pyrgomorphidae Superfamily: Acridoidea Acrididae Charilaidae Dericorythidae Lathiceridae Lentulidae Lithidiidae Ommexechidae Pamphagidae Pyrgacrididae Romaleidae Tristiridae Superfamily: Tanaoceroidea Tanaoceridae Superfamily: Trigonopterygoidea Trigonopterygidae Xyronotidae Grasshoppers are herbivorous insects of... Subfamilies See text Crickets, family Gryllidae (also known as true crickets), are insects somewhat related to grasshoppers and more closely related to katydids or bush crickets (order Orthoptera). ... Families Mastotermitidae Kalotermitidae Termopsidae Hodotermitidae Rhinotermitidae Serritermitidae Termitidae Reference: Earthlife as of 2002-07-26 A termite (also known as a white ant) is any member of the order Isoptera, a group of social insects that eat wood and other cellulose-rich vegetable matter. ... Subfamilies Aenictinae Aenictogitoninae Aneuretinae Apomyrminae Cerapachyinae Dolichoderinae Dorylinae Ecitoninae Formicinae Leptanillinae Leptanilloidinae Myrmeciinae Myrmicinae Nothomyrmeciinae Ponerinae Pseudomyrmecinae Ants are social insects that belong to the same order as the wasps and bees. ... Suborders Adephaga Archostemata Myxophaga Polyphaga See subgroups of the order Coleoptera Wikispecies has information related to: Coleoptera Beetles are the most diverse group of insects. ... Larvae are the plural of larva, juvenile form of animals with indirect development. ... A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly. ... Chrysalis of Gulf Fritillary Georgetown, South Carolina A pupa (plural: pupae or pupas) is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation. ... Diversity 111 families, 40,000 species Suborders Mesothelae Mygalomorphae Araneomorphae  See Table of Families Wikispecies has information related to: Spiders A South American Argiope Spiders are predatory invertebrate animals with two body segments, eight legs, no chewing mouth parts and no wings. ... Diversity 113 genera, 897 species Genera Subfamily Acanthopelminae    Acanthopelma Subfamily Aviculariinae    Avicularia    Ephobopus    Pachistopelma    Tapinauchenius Subfamily Eumenophorinae    Anoploscelus    Batesiella    Citharischius    Encyocrates    Eumenophorus    Hysterocrates    Loxomphalia    Loxoptygus    Monocentropus    Myostola    Phoneyusa    Polyspina Subfamily Harpactirinae    Ceratogyrus    Coelogenium    Eucratoscelus    Harpactira    Pterinochilus Subfamily Ischnocolinae    Chaetopelma    Cratorrhagus    Heterothele    Ischnocolus    Nesiergus    Plesiophrictus/Neoplesiophrictus Subfamily Ornithoctoninae    Citharognathus    Cyriopagopus    Haplopelma... Superfamilies Pseudochactoidea Buthoidea Chaeriloidea Chactoidea Iuroidea Scorpionoidea See classification for families. ...

Some people propose the development of entomophagy to provide a major source of protein in human nutrition. Insects contain more essential amino acids then most meats (including beef and chicken). Protein production for human consumption would be more effective and cost less ressources then animal protein. This makes insect meat more ecological then vertebrate meat. A representation of the 3D structure of myoglobin, showing coloured alpha helices. ... It has been suggested that Diet (nutrition) be merged into this article or section. ... An essential amino acid or indispensible amino acid, is an amino acid that cannot be synthesized de novo by the organism (usually referring to humans), and therefore must be supplied in the diet. ...

Since it is impossible to entirely eliminate pest insects from the human food chain, insects already are present in many foods, especially grains. Most people do not realize that food laws in many countries do not prohibit insect parts in food, but rather limit the quantity.

The cultural materialist anthropologist Marvin Harris has suggested that the eating of insects is taboo in cultures that have other protein sources that require less work to obtain, like farm birds or cattle. However, cultures in Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe have strong cattle-raising traditions and also eat insects, such as the mopane worm. The term Cultural materialism refers to two separate scholarly endeavours: It is an anthropological research paradigm championed most notably by Marvin Harris. ... Marvin Harris Marvin Harris (August 18, 1927 – October 25, 2001) was an American anthropologist and highly influential in the development of cultural materialism. ... Ducks amongst other poultry The Poultry-dealer, after Cesare Vecellio. ... Binomial name Bos taurus Linnaeus, 1758 Cattle (often called cows in vernacular and contemporary usage, or kye as the Scots plural of cou) are domesticated ungulates, a member of the subfamily Bovinae of the family Bovidae. ... Binomial name Gonimbrasia belina (Linnaeus, 1758) Gonimbrasia belina is a species of moth found in much of southern Africa, whose large edible caterpillar, the mopani or mopane worm, is an important source of protein for millions of Southern Africans. ...

Entomophagy in other contexts

Many insects are entomophagous and these are usually classified into predators and parasitoids. Nematodes that live within insects (parasites) are also termed entomophagous. Some bacteria and fungi are also known to growing on or inside insects and these usually cause the death of their hosts. This snapping turtle is trying to make a meal of a Canada goose, but the goose is too wary. ... Parasitoids differ from parasites in their relationship with the host. ...

References

• Taylor, R. L. 1975. Butterflies in my Stomach (or: Insects in Human Nutrition). Woodbridge Press Publishing Company, Santa Barbara, California.

See also

• Taboo food and drink
• Category:Insects as food.

Swine are considered treyf, non-kosher (unfit or unclean) in Judaism or haraam (forbidden) in Islam Taboo food and drinks are food and drink which people abstain from consuming for religious or cultural reasons. ...

External links

• Insects as Human Food Ohio State University Extension Fact Sheet on Entomophagy
• Outside Magazine: It's Hard to Eat Just One, April 1997
• Creepy Crawly Cuisine, a site made to encourage American people to eat bugs
• Yahoo Directory: Entomophagy
• University of Kentucky: Insect Snacks from Around the World
• Insects as Food, by Gene DeFoliart; Home Page - much information about insects as a food resource