Protein composition of Oecophylla smaragdina (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) based on altitudinal variation from Arunachal Pradesh, India.

The crude protein content of weaver ant- Oecophylla smaragdina (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), used as food among some tribal from different places of Arunachal Pradesh was analyzed. The amount of crude protein found in both the adult and larva of O.smaragdina from different attitudes was quite appreciable. In both adult and larva, the highest amount was found in Namsai (Adult- 57.05%; Larva- 52.99%) followed by the lowest in Changlang (Ault- 52.99%; Larva-43.49%). Compared with conventional animal meats and easily available foods we found that this insect can be an alternative source of nutrition as they contain a comparable or higher amount of protein. Farming of this insect will be a great substitute for food for the local people of remote villages.