เอกสารการประชุมวิชาการและนำเสนอผลงานวิจัย ครั้งที่ 21 / 2554 (Oral) - page 10

Introduction
Human consumption of insects is common throughout the world. It is estimated that 2,000 insect species are
consumed around the World.
Food and Agriculture Organization
(2004) reported that caterpillars of many species
are rich in potassium, calcium, magnesium, zinc, and iron, as well as B-vitamins. FAO has also stated that "edible
insects from forests are an important source of protein and unlike those from agricultural lands, they are free of
pesticides”.
Edible insects will be an alternative source of income for poverty alleviation. Eating insects within ethnic
groups of Thai society is a traditional culture, which has been practiced since a long time ago in the northern and
northeastern parts of Thailand. Insects are sources of protein for farmers in Thailand (
Somnasang,
et al.,
1984
). In
Thailand, more than 308 types of edible insects belong to 5 orders, 9 families and 16 species eat (
Chansang
et al.
2542
). Bamboo caterpillar, one of the most delicious caterpillars, is a main source of protein for many deprived
communities, however, is delicious for high socioeconomic groups (
Jordon, 1993
;
Chen
et al.,
1998
).
Bamboo caterpillar,
Omphisa fuscidentalis,
belongs to Pyralidae, is a tropical snout moth found in bamboo
forests of Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, Vietnam (
Thapa, 2009
).
Male and female moths are dried bamboo sheet straw-yellow. The upper-side of a male moth is light straw-yellow
with blackish patches and dark zigzag lines with two black spots. The under-side is light yellow. The upper-side of a
female is straw pale yellow-brown with blackish patches and zigzag lines on forewings. The under-side is pale yellow.
The body length of males was 19.2
0.3 mm long and females was 22.5
0.3 mm. The fore wingspan of males was
37.7
0.4 mm long and females was 41.4.0
1.0 mm. Female moths survived 3.7
0.2 days and male 3.8
0.2 days at
24.7
0.2ºC with 83.3
1.2% of RH in the laboratory. Females lay eggs in clusters from 30 to 195 at the base of young
bamboo shoots. The eggs are flat and overlap like fish scales. The length of eggs is 8.8
0.2
m and 6.9
0.1
m
wide. The mature caterpillars are 31.82
2.30mm long. Bamboo caterpillars hatch within 5-6 days after laying of the
eggs on young bamboo shoots. After hatching, caterpillars make a tiny hole and enter into the young bamboo shoot.
The newly hatched caterpillars have distinct orange brown head with well developed mandibles. The head bears short
antennae and six ocelli. These caterpillars have three pairs of articulated legs on the thorax and five pairs of fleshy
prolegs on the abdomen and one pair on the last abdominal segment. Each leg bears a single claw, which help them to
move up and down on culms. These caterpillars are seldom hairy and milky white. They mold four to six times before
entering pupal stage (
Thapa, 2010
). The newly hatched caterpillars feed on inner pulp of the young bamboo shoot.
The matured caterpillars enter diapause in September and pupae in June in the same internode (
Singtripop
et al.,
1999
). The caterpillars stage lasts from 280-300 days in culms. Male pupae are 22.6
0.1 mm long and 5.2
0.0 mm in
diameter and female pupae 24.4
0.1 mm long and 5.5
0.0 mm in diameter. The male pupae are shorter than female
pupae. The average weight of male pupae is 0.3
0.0 g and females 0.4
0.0 g. The male pupae are lighter than female
pupae. The pupae are light yellowish-brown in the first three weeks, and turn dark black before emerge. The pupal
abdomen consists of 10 segments and the last segment is equipped with cremaster (eight clusters of small hooks). The
pupae are hung upside down in clusters of 90-214 individuals from the node of bamboo during May-August. The
pupal stage lasts for 35 days at 24.7
0.2ºC with 83.3
1.2% of RH in the laboratory (
Thapa, 2010
).
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