Nsenene
 | This article's factual accuracy is disputed. (August 2019) |
| Nsenene | |
|---|---|
.jpg)
| |
| Nsenene look-alike (Ruspolia nitidula) | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Orthoptera |
| Suborder: | Ensifera |
| Family: | Tettigoniidae |
| Genus: | Ruspolia |
| Species: | R. differens
|
| Binomial name | |
| Ruspolia differens (Serville, 1838)
| |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Nsenene is the Luganda name for Ruspolia differens:[1] a bush cricket (a.k.a. katydids or misnamed "long-horned grasshoppers") in the tribe Copiphorini of the 'cone-head' subfamily.
Distribution and traditional beliefs
 |
This species is a delicacy in central and south-western Uganda, as well as an important source of income. The insect is also found in Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Madagascar. Traditionally in Uganda, nsenene were collected by children and women. They were given to the women’s husbands in return for a new gomasi (a traditional dress for women). Although the women were made to do the treacherous work of collecting nsenene, they were never allowed to eat them. It was believed that women who consume nsenene would bear children with deformed heads like those of a conocephaline bush cricket. Nowadays, nsenene are consumed by most women in the areas where this insect is traditionally eaten.
References
- ^ "species Ruspolia differens (Serville, 1838): Orthoptera Species File". orthoptera.speciesfile.org. Retrieved 2020-04-15.
External links
Media related to Ruspolia at Wikimedia Commons
Data related to Ruspolia at Wikispecies- Nsenene chronicle
