José Manuel Pino Moreno

Edible aquatic Coleoptera of the world with an emphasis on Mexico

Anthropoentomophagy is an ancient culinary practice wherein terrestrial and aquatic insects are eaten by humans. Of these species of insects, terrestrial insects are far more commonly used in anthropoentomophagy than aquatic insects. In this study we found that there are 22 genera and 78 species of edible aquatic beetles in the world. The family Dytiscidae hosts nine genera, Gyrinidae one, Elmidae two, Histeridae one, Hydrophilidae six, Haliplidae two and Noteridae one. Of the recorded species, 45 correspond to the family Dytiscidae, 19 to Hydrophilidae, three to Gyrinidae, four to Elmidae, two to Histeridae, four to Haliplidae and one to Noteridae. These beetles are the most prized organisms of lentic watersThe family that has the highest number of edible food insect genera and species is Dytiscidae. Here, the global geographic distribution of species in these organisms is shown, and a discussion is presented of its importance as a renewable natural resource widely used for food in various countries.

A Preliminary Study on Oxya fuscovittata (Marschall) as an Alternative Nutrient Supplement in the Diets of Poecillia sphenops (Valenciennes)

Growth of the ornamental fish industry is being hindered by the scarcity of low cost feed; hence alternative protein supplements should be explored. In this context the present study aims to evaluate whether the grasshopper Oxya fuscovittata could be used as a supplement for fish meal in the diets of Poecillia sphenops, which is one of the most common ornamental fishes worldwide. The present work is divided into three phases: In the first phase proximate composition of the grasshopper is obtained and five diets are prepared where fish meal is gradually replaced by Oxya meal and named as control, D1, D2, D3 and D4. All the diets are formulated on iso-nitrogenous basis where the protein percentage is fixed at 400 g/kg. The second phase deals with feeding trial and in the third phase all the data of the feeding trial are subjected to a linear model. The feeding trial shows that the control, D1 and D2 fed fishes have almost similar results. The linear model proves that the variation in the indices are mainly due to replacement of fish meal by Oxya meal, not due to the variations of rice husk and mustard oil cake that are also used to formulate the diets of the present study. From the results two Oxya supplemented diets, i.e. D1 and D2 are proved to be almost equivalent to the control diet. Hence it is concluded that Oxya meal is able to replace 25% to 50% of fish meal from the diets of P. sphenops.

Socio-economic and Cultural Aspects Associated with Handling Grasshopper Germplasm in Traditional Markets of Cuautla, Morelos, Mexico

Abstract Edible insects are a renewable natural resource which provides valuable knowledge for ethnoentomological research. The present study investigates the selection of germplasm of edible grasshoppers by locals in Ladino markets of Cuautla, Morelos, and determined how collecting methods are implemented, as well as the decisions made about conservation and marketing. The researchers also investigated the role of both men and women play with this issue. They evaluated the diversity of insects that are traded inside and outside the markets, where were found three species of the order Orthoptera: Sphenarium purpurascens Charpentier 1842, Sphenarium histrio Gerstaecker 1873, and Taeniopoda auricornis Walker 1870, all harvested in Atlixco, state of Puebla. The researchers revealed the existence of a matriarchy, which plays a principal role in the collection, distribution and marketing of these insects.