Gonimbrasia belina: Difference between revisions

{{shortShort description|Species of emperor moth}}

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| imagename = Mopane Worm by Arne Larsen.jpgworm

| image2_caption = Caterpillar atopinamangomopane leaftree, and the adult male [[imago]] (note the feathered antennae)

'''''Gonimbrasia belina''''' is a species of [[Saturniinae|emperor moth]] which is native to the warmer parts of [[southern Africa]]. Its large [[Entomophagy|edible]] [[caterpillar]], known as the '''madoramopane worm'''or, '''mopanemadora''', worm'''amacimbi''' “pigeon moth” or '''amacimbimasontja''', feeds primarily but not exclusively on [[Colophospermum mopane|mopane tree]] leaves. Mopane worms are an important source of [[protein]] for millionsmany in the region. The species was first scientifically described by [[John O. Westwood]] in 1849.

**''finkubala'' <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fao.org/docrep/007/j3463f/j3463f08.htm |title=Insect and host plant species of Central Africa: scientific names |publisher=Fao.org |access-date= |accessdate=2011-10-18}}</ref>

** [[Ovambo language|Ovambo]]: ''omagungu''

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Although the mopane worm feeds chiefly on the [[mopane]] tree, it is not limited to this diet, and can feed on many other trees that are indigenous to the same regions, includingas well as exotics like the leaves of the [[mango]] tree. Thus the mopane worm is scattered over a fairly large area. As the larval stage of the mopane worm is fairly short, in contrast to other browsing caterpillars, the extensive damage to foliage is easily survived by the tree, in time to be replenished for the next generation of mopane worms. Like most caterpillars, the mopane worm is a voracious eater, and will continue to eat - almost non-stop - until it reaches the next stage of its life cycle, when it burrows underground to undergo metamorphosis.

Mopane worms are hand picked in the wild, often by women and children. In the bush, the caterpillars are not considered to belong to the landowner (if any), but around a house, permission should be sought from the resident. Chavanduka describes women in [[Zimbabwe]] tying a piece of bark to particular trees to establish ownership, or moving the young caterpillars to trees nearer home.<ref>Chavunduka, D.M. 1975. Insects as a source of protein to the African. ''Rhodesia Science News 9'': 217-220217–220. (Quoted in ch.13 DeF 2003)</ref> When the caterpillar has been picked, it is pinched at the tail end to rupture the innards. The picker then squeezes it like a tube of toothpaste or lengthwise like a concertina, and whips it to expel the slimy, green contents of the gut.

The traditional method of preserving mopane worms is to boil them without adding any extra water after washing and adding a significant amount of salt. They are then dried in the sun or smoked, whereby they gain extra flavour. The industrial method is to can the caterpillars (usually in brine). Tins of mopane worms can be found in rural supermarkets and markets around southern Africa.<ref>{{CitationCite neededweb|title=Incredible Creatures: Just Eat It – Insects as Food|url=https://www.strathroyagedispatch.com/news/local-news/incredible-creatures-just-eat-it-insects-as-food/wcm/94100f5c-3a1f-4d46-893c-74035a5438a4|last1=February 8|first1=John Gavloski More from John Gavloski Published on|last2=February 8|first2=2019 {{!}} Last Updated|date=October2019-02-08|website=Strathroy Age Dispatch|language=en-US|access-date=2020-05-30|last3=Est|first3=2019 12:26 2018Pm}}</ref>

In November 2015, a [[Cornell]] team of food scientists placed third in [[Brisbane]], Australia, at the 2015 Global Business Challenge, by presenting the economic and nutritional benefits of transforming proteins from mopane worms into food.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ezramagazine.cornell.edu/Update/Dec15/EU.Cfu.Foods.html |title=An idea with legs: Company that turns bugs into food a top finisher in competition |publisher=ezramagazine.cornell.edu |date=2015-11-01 |accessdateaccess-date=2015-12-23}}</ref>

The harvesting and sale of mopane worms is a multi-million [[rand (currency)|rand]] industry in southern Africa.<ref name="Toms2003"/> The principal producers are [[Botswana]], [[Namibia]], [[South Africa]] ([[Limpopo Province]] and [[Mpumalanga]]) and [[Zimbabwe]]. Typically, the caterpillars are not bred, but picked wherever they occur naturally. It is one of the region's most economically important insects. In the 1990s, hundreds of tons were exported from Botswana and South Africa each year.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20150423113342/http://www.food-insects.com/Insects%20as%20Human%20Food.htm A Concise Summary of the General Nutritional Value of Insects]</ref> It is estimated that South Africa alone trades 1.6 million kilogrammes of mopane worm annually,<ref name="Toms2005"/><ref name="Spore Brief Iss. 108">[https://web.archive.org/web/20040329133222/http://spore.cta.int/spore108/spore108_brief.html Worming your way to a sustainable harvest] ''Spore Brief Iss. 108''</ref> and that Botswana's involvement in this industry nets it roughly $8 million annually.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20051028142348/http://aob.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/90/1/127 Effects of Elevated Ultraviolet-B Radiation on Native and Cultivated Plants of Southern Africa]</ref>

A sure sign of the presence of mopane worms is defoliation of mopane woodland - sometimes around ninety per cent of leaves.<ref name="Toms2005"/><ref name="Spore Brief Iss. 108"/> Fenced-in browsing animals may rely on the mopane, and on other trees favoured by the caterpillars, as an important part of their diet. Some farmers therefore view the mopane worm as competition for their livestock, and attempt to eradicate the "pest" with [[insecticide]]s and the like. However, the caterpillar season is short, and the trees sprout the new, tender foliage which browsers prefer, so this problem can be managed in other ways, for example, by working to mutual benefit with the local caterpillar harvesters who will control the worms by harvesting them.<ref name="Toms2003"/>

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{{commonsCommons|Gonimbrasia belina|Mopane worm (''Gonimbrasia belina'')}}

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[[Category:Insects as foodSaturniinae]]