Big coneheads [2] , or green coneheads [2] ( lat. Ruspolia nitidula ) - a species of grasshoppers of the genus Ruspolia of the family true grasshoppers ( Tettigoniidae ) of the subfamily Conocephalinae . [1] . It occurs throughout Europe, Africa and the Palaearctic part of Asia [3] .
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 Great coneheads ( Ruspolia nitidula ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Ruspolia nitidula Scopoli , 1786 [1] |
Content
Description
A green grasshopper, large and slender, with a conical head. The top of the head has cream streaks that pass through the head and eyes. Size ranges from 32 to 60 mm. The wings of both sexes extend farther than the abdomen. Able to make a high buzzing sound [4] .
Habitat and habitat
It occurs mainly in central and southern Europe, as well as in Africa and the Palaearctic part of Asia [3] . It lives on the banks of rivers and in other humid areas with high grass cover. The imago appears from July to October [4] .
Eating
Ruspolia nitidula is usually eaten in Uganda , and in the markets of Uganda its price per unit weight is periodically higher than for beef [5] . Interestingly, when coffee prices fell in the 1990s and the main income of the Ugandan population decreased significantly, collecting and selling these grasshoppers became a way to increase income in that period [5] . It is also eaten by many East African tribes [6] .
A 2016 Food Science & Nutrition study concluded that R. nitidula is considered nutritious and that its passage leads to improved aroma and taste. In Uganda, they are prepared by stewing, frying or boiling, and then dried. Grasshoppers are eaten at home, but in cities such as Kampala and Masaka , as well as a restaurant dish [6] .
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 Scopoli, JA 1786–88. Deliciae Flora et Fauna Insubricae Ticini. An account including new descriptions of the birds and mammals collected by Pierre Sonnerat on his voyages .
- ↑ 1 2 Striganova B. R. , Zakharov A. A. The Bilingual Dictionary of Animal Names: Insects (Latin-Russian-English-German-French) /Ed. Dr. biol. sciences, prof. B.R. Striganova . - M .: RUSSO, 2000.- S. 19. - 1060 copies. - ISBN 5-88721-162-8 .
- ↑ 1 2 Ruspolia nitidula Scopoli, 1786 . Global Biodiversity Information Facility . Date accessed July 23, 2019.
- ↑ 1 2 Ruspolia nitidula (Scopoli, 1786) . Orthoptera & Allied Insects . Date accessed July 23, 2019.
- ↑ 1 2 Waltner-Toews, David. Eat the Beetles !. - ECW Press, 2017 .-- P. 181-182. - ISBN 9781770413146 .
- ↑ 1 2 Ssepuuya, Geoffrey; Muzira Mukisa, Ivan; Nakimbugwe, Dorothy. Nutritional composition, quality, and shelf stability of processed Ruspolia nitidula (edible grasshoppers) (Eng.) // Food Science & Nutrition: journal. - 2016 .-- 13 April ( vol. 5 , no. 1 ). - P. 103-112 . - DOI : 10.1002 / fsn3.369 .