Silkworm Moths Inventory in Their Natural Tapia Forest Habitat (Madagascar): Diversity, Population Dynamics and Host Plants

Razafimanantsoa, Tsiresy; Raminosoa, Noromalala; Rakotondrasoa, Olivia; Rajoelison, Gabrielle; Bogaert, Jan; Rabearisoa, Misha; Ramamonjisoa, Bruno; Poncelet, Marc; Haubruge, Éric; Verheggen, François

doi:10.4001/003.021.0123

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 9 publications

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“…Most of the pupae consumed (56.86%) belong to the family Lasiocampidae, which is the family of the wild silkworm B. cajani, the species predominantly used in Madagascar, including Ambatofinandrahana, for sericulture. Unfortunately, their endemic natural habitats, which are tapia forests, have been continuously overexploited and endangered in different regions (Gade 1985;Rakotondrasoa et al 2012;Razafimanantsoa et al 2012).…”

Section: Lepidopteramentioning

confidence: 99%

Edible Non-Crustacean Arthropods in Rural Communities of Madagascar

Randrianandrasana¹,

Berenbaum²

2015

Journal of Ethnobiology

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Entomophagy, the practice of eating insects, is not new in many countries, including Madagascar, where insects have long been part of culinary traditions. Promoting this practice would help in enhancing food security as insects are nutritious and affordable for the majority of the population. Because eating insects is also associated with rural life, we conducted a survey in rural communities of Madagascar from April to June 2013. Diversity of edible, non-crustacean arthropods was assessed for each site using the number of times names of arthropods consumed were mentioned by each household. Approximately 65 morpho-species from seven orders of insects, including Hemiptera, Coleoptera, Lepidoptera, Orthoptera, Hymenoptera, Odonata, and Mantodea, and two orders of arachnids, including Araneae and Ixodida, were recorded as the most frequently consumed arthropods during the survey. Preference rankings differed among sites, possibly depending on the availability of the edible species; information on seasonal availability was also recorded from the informants. When comparing factors influencing food security in rural areas, most of the edible species were found between October and March, a time associated with the lean season and elevated food prices. This pattern demonstrates the importance of entomophagy in food security as Malagasy farmers rely heavily on their subsistence crops for their living. Rearing selected edible insects at a marketable level, combined with other insect-based activities such as sericulture, would further improve food security. Promoting the importance of ethnoentomology would be ultimately leading to more effective sustainability of edible insects and conservation of forests in Madagascar.

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Section: Lepidopteramentioning

confidence: 99%