ABSTRACT
Abstract In Japan, the most popular edible insect is a grasshopper, Oxya yezoensis or O. japonica, an insect rich in proteins. It is consumed in large amounts even today. The mixtures of river-living insect larvae are particularly relished. The larvae and pupae of a wasp, Vespula lewisi, are consumed in considerable amounts, while pupae and female adults after oviposition are the preferred stages of Bombyx mori; the pupae are particularly rich in nutrients. All of these insects are cooked with soy sauce and sugar, and are sold as canned foods. In addition to these insects, the larvae of cerambycid beetles are preferentially eaten in the countryside. Larvae of the dobsonfly, Protohermes grandis (Neuroptera), has been consumed as a traditional medicine.
