Concerning some taxonomic confusions in African edible caterpillars

Edible insects, and in particular edible caterpillars, occupy a strategic place in the fight against hunger and malnutrition on a global scale. It is essential that the different species are correctly identified to ensure their exploitation and sustainable conservation. This article raises examples of the taxonomic confusions found in the scientific literature regarding the edible caterpillars of Africa. This study indicates that these taxonomic confusions follow identification based on the comparison of morphological features using photos taken from previous articles that used the same method of identification. Hence there is a repetition of taxonomic confusions in the online scientific literature. To put an end to these confusions, the authors plead for molecular identification of edible caterpillars, which should be extended to all known and available species in order to constitute a real data bank as a reference for all future studies of edible caterpillars.