First report of Achaea serva and Lymantria brotea (Erebidae) as edible Lepidoptera from Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo
In: Journal of Insects as Food and FeedMelanau Research Centre (PPM), Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Cawangan Sarawak, Mukah Campus, KM 7.5 Jalan Oya, 96400 Mukah, Sarawak, Malaysia
Centre for Insect Systematics, Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
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Abstract
Lelamas are edible Lepidoptera traditionally consumed by the Melanau and Iban communities in central Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo; however, their species identities have remained undocumented. This study reports the species-level confirmation of two edible Lepidoptera, Achaea serva and Lymantria brotea (Erebidae) through combined morphological identification and cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) barcoding. Field sampling was conducted in Daro and Dalat, Mukah Division, Sarawak, Malaysia, followed by laboratory rearing to obtain adults for taxonomic verification. Species identity was confirmed through morphological characters and BLAST analysis, which showed 100% similarity for A. serva and 94.30% for L. brotea, supported by Neighbour-Joining phylogenetic clustering. Host plants were identified as Nyatoh (Palaquium sp.) and mangrove apple (Sonneratia sp.), respectively. Entomophagy practices vary by species; A. serva is consumed at both the larval and pupal stages, whereas L. brotea is harvested strictly at the pupal stage due to the urticating hairs and lepidopterism risks associated with its caterpillars. Mean pupal weights were 0.752 ± 0.051 g for male L. brotea, 1.666 ± 0.198 g for female L. brotea and 0.482 ± 0.138 g for A. serva. These findings contribute new baseline data to the global database of edible insects, highlighting stage-specific food safety parameters and expanding current knowledge of edible Lepidoptera in the tropical regions.
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First report of Achaea serva and Lymantria brotea (Erebidae) as edible Lepidoptera from Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo
In: Journal of Insects as Food and FeedMelanau Research Centre (PPM), Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Cawangan Sarawak, Mukah Campus, KM 7.5 Jalan Oya, 96400 Mukah, Sarawak, Malaysia
Centre for Insect Systematics, Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
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Abstract
Lelamas are edible Lepidoptera traditionally consumed by the Melanau and Iban communities in central Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo; however, their species identities have remained undocumented. This study reports the species-level confirmation of two edible Lepidoptera, Achaea serva and Lymantria brotea (Erebidae) through combined morphological identification and cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) barcoding. Field sampling was conducted in Daro and Dalat, Mukah Division, Sarawak, Malaysia, followed by laboratory rearing to obtain adults for taxonomic verification. Species identity was confirmed through morphological characters and BLAST analysis, which showed 100% similarity for A. serva and 94.30% for L. brotea, supported by Neighbour-Joining phylogenetic clustering. Host plants were identified as Nyatoh (Palaquium sp.) and mangrove apple (Sonneratia sp.), respectively. Entomophagy practices vary by species; A. serva is consumed at both the larval and pupal stages, whereas L. brotea is harvested strictly at the pupal stage due to the urticating hairs and lepidopterism risks associated with its caterpillars. Mean pupal weights were 0.752 ± 0.051 g for male L. brotea, 1.666 ± 0.198 g for female L. brotea and 0.482 ± 0.138 g for A. serva. These findings contribute new baseline data to the global database of edible insects, highlighting stage-specific food safety parameters and expanding current knowledge of edible Lepidoptera in the tropical regions.
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