The edible caterpillar “Mikombidila”, one of the caterpillars consumed in the west of the Democratic Republic of Congo : Description, life cycle and breeding

In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), caterpillars provide up to 40% of all animal protein consumed and contributes to addressing the problems of food insecurity and poverty in the country. A great proportion of western part population of the DRC consumes caterpillars on a daily basis in their feeding habits. In this region of the country, the edible caterpillar called Mikombidila is also consumed by the inhabitants and are highly appreciated for its excellent taste. Nevertheless, this species is only available in small quantities. This species naturally feeds on a semi-recumbent annual grassy plant with ascending or erect stems up to 60 cm high, called Boerhavia diffusa L., belonging to the Nyctaginaceae family.
Research on this caterpillar species is almost non-existent. Very few authors have described its life cycle. After rearing them under laboratory conditions, an identification of the adults has been carried out. This identification indicates that individuals belong to the Noctuidae family and Agaristinae subfamily and represents potentially the Aegocera rectilinea Boisduval 1836 species. The preliminary data on the biology of this species obtained at the end of the observation phase are as follows: it is a multivoltine species with a developmental cycle of ≈30 days (egg incubation ≈ 3 days, larval development ≈ 15 days, pupation ≈ 12 days) and an adult life span of≈ 6 days.
Therefore, furthers studies are currently under process to characterize precisely its life cycle parameters and feeding preferences in order to set up a efficient and inexpensive breeding system for a rural and sustainable exploitation of the Mikombidila caterpillar in DRC.