Cultural Entomology

April 8, 2003 12:17 AM

Cultural Entomology. The role of insects in human cultures from every continent :- religion, art, literature, entertainment, and as pets.
Related :- insect drawings used as teaching aids; insects as food.
posted by plep (15 comments total)

D'uh, double post. Sorry, hama7.
posted by plep at 12:19 AM on April 8, 2003

The two posts compliment each other well and are great together. Nice accidental teamwork, plep and hama7.
posted by homunculus at 12:41 AM on April 8, 2003

Not at all. This one is much better! :)

Especially the insect drawings link. Splendid.

Here's something about cricket boxes, and an image of a cricket cage peddler.

Thanks, as always plep!
posted by hama7 at 5:19 AM on April 8, 2003

Well, ok, not quite a double post but one of the links is sort of coincidental. Small world. Hope you enjoy it anyway :).

It's interesting how big a role these creatures have played in so many different aspects of human culture...
posted by plep at 6:12 AM on April 8, 2003

Cor, those cricket boxes are interesting. Thanks hama7.
posted by plep at 7:26 AM on April 8, 2003

ach... this is one of those links I've been meaning to post... plep, you are a better man than I!

Really, if anyone is checking out this post, you just have have to go there; everything is wonderful, but to me the "cultural entomology" articles are the best.
posted by taz at 8:00 AM on April 8, 2003

groan. okay, that was the very first link. Please chalk it all down to me being an idiot Thanks.
posted by taz at 8:06 AM on April 8, 2003

No worries taz. :)
posted by plep at 10:04 AM on April 8, 2003

The 'cultural entomology' site is great. I saw a show on one of the Japanese stations here about a cricket collector. He had an entire rooftop full of cages. I then went looking for more info and found this nice site of Japanese cricket video clips. This one (quicktime) is my favorite. As far as insect sounds go, the cicada as jazz drummer from this site is nice (found via Animal Sound Sites). Another favorite insect site is ThaiBugs with wonderful photos and video clips. Thanks plep.
posted by snez at 10:47 AM on April 8, 2003

Wow snez, that's great... I'd love to actually see that. These singing crickets seem somewhat reminiscent of flea circuses.
Here's an authentic Victorian style flea circus
posted by plep at 11:01 AM on April 8, 2003

Here's a good Nabokov lepidoptera link. I was intrigued in noting that regarding the species named Pseudolucia humbert, only females have been captured, and of Madeleinea lolita only males have been captured. Fortunately, no-one has yet come across such a thing as Leptotes quilty, though I am convinced such must exist.

Now if only some cryptologists or otologists would be so ingratiating as to name some rare baubles they have uncovered in honor of Borges, I would be truly pleased.
posted by mitchel at 7:21 PM on April 8, 2003

Here you go, mitchel:

Pseudolucia clarea BÁLINT & JOHNSON 1993 [Lycáenidae]: an elegant polyommatine butterfly known from one region in Chile (Coquimbo). The males are burnished bronze, mottled with blue on the hindwings, the females are quite similar. The forewing length is 8.5–10 mm. Named for Clare Quilty of Lolita. OD: Zsolt Bálint / Kurt Johnson: ”New Species of Pseudolucia Nabokov from Chile and Patagonia (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae, Polyommatinae),” Reports of the Museum of Natural History, University of Wisconsin (Stevens Point), 27, 1993, p. 9, 15.
posted by taz at 10:01 PM on April 8, 2003

also, a very nice "Atlantic" article, Nabokov's Butterflies, with a link to a previously unpublished Nobokov work, Father's Butterflies.
posted by taz at 10:20 PM on April 8, 2003

Thanks, again, for those great links, taz and mitchel.
posted by plep at 12:07 AM on April 9, 2003

Let's not forget Edward O. Wilson, author of The Insect Societies and Biodiversity, among others. Also, your complete online insect resource.
posted by hairyeyeball at 9:52 AM on April 9, 2003