Ethnozoology and entomophagy of Ao tribe in the district of Mokokchung, Nagaland

Abstract

The Ao Naga tribe inhabiting Mokokchung district of Nagaland, has a rich tradition of entomophagy. This paper explores their traditional knowledge and practice of entomophagy. Information on the mode of collection of the insects, cooking recipes, nutritional knowledge if any, allergies etc. were gathered using a questionnaire along with interviews of village elders, sellers and consumers. Eleven (11) edible insects species were identified out of which a few were found to be available all year-round, while some were reported to be available on a seasonal basis. In the present study, insects from coleoptera (2), hemiptera (3), hymenoptera (2), lepidoptera (3), and orthoptera (1) were identified. One species (Lepidoptera) was identified only to genus level, and another species (Hemiptera), was identified as an edible species for the first time.