Journal of Ethnobiology 23-46 /Summer 23(1): Spring 2003 HEAD WINGS AND OF SNAKE, OF BODY BUTTERFLX OF CICADA": IMPRESSIONS OF THE LANTERN-FLY (HEMIPTERA: FULGORIDAE) THE VILLAGE OF IN PEDRA BRANCA, BAHIA BRAZIL STATE, ERALDO MEDEIROS MARQUES COSTA-NETO-^ and JOSUE PACHECO^^ Departamento ^ de Ciencias Biologicas, Univcrsidade Estadual de Feira de Santana, Km BR CEP Campus lie, UniversMrio, 44031-460, 3, Feira de Santana, Bahia, Brazil E-mail: [email protected] Departamento de Biologia Evolutiva e Ecologia, Universidade Federal de Sao Carlos, Washingt Sao Paulo, Brazil [email protected] I: memory To Addison Posey the of Darrell (1947-2001) — F ABSTRACT. Four ethnoentomology aspects of the of the lantern-fly {Fidgora la- A men ternaria 1767) were studied in Pedra Branca, Brazil. total of 45 and 41 L., women were consulted through open-ended interviews and their actions were document wisdom, and observed in order to the beliefs, feelings, behaviors related shape to the lantern-fly. People's perceptions of the external of the insect influence may ethno taxonomy, and they categorize into five different ethnosemantic its it and domains. Villagers are familiar with the habitat food habits of the lantern- fly; they say lives on the trunk of Simarouba sp. (Simaroubaceae) by feeding on it sap with the aid of The culturally constructed attitudes toward this its 'sting'. insect are that a fearsome organism that should be exterminated whenever it is it human found because makes 'deadly on plants and beings. Local attacks' is it metamorphosis ideas about the origin of the lantern-fly, the process, as well as its The transformation into another organism were also recorded. insect inspires feel- an ings of fear and aversion which create obstacles to developing efficient strategy for the conservation of Fulgora species. Environmental education can play a sig- nificant role in changing these negative attitudes. Key words: ethnoentomology, knowledge, Hemiptera, Fulgoridae, Fulgora folk la- ternaria, — O RESUMO. etnoentomologia da jequitiranaboia {Fulgora artigo refere-se a latcr- que hu- baseando-se nas quatro dimensoes conectivas os seres naria L., 1767), O manos podem manter com o inseto. trabalho de campo foi realizado no po- Foram voado de Pedra Branca entre os meses de fevereiro a maio de 2001. con- observaqoes sul tados 45 homens e 41 mulheres atraves de entrevistas abertas e comportamentais, com o objetivo de registrar os conhecimentos, as crenijas, os com Os resultados de- sentimentos e os comportamentos relacionados o inseto. do animal monstram que percepqao que os moradores tern da apardncia externa a em em uma domf- vez que categorizado cinco sua etnotaxonomia, foi influencia Os conhecimentos nativos referentes ao habitat e nios etnossemanticos distintos. da ipauitiranab6ia revelam aue ela vive nos troncos de Simarouba a prologri;^ trofica No. and Vol. 24 23, 1 As (Simaroubaceae), alimentando-se da seiva por meio do 'ferrao' atitudes sp. um com como que colocam-no culturalmente construidas relagao ao inseto ser do deve exterminado ou temido sempre que encontrado devido a creiKja ser origem 'ataque mortifero' a plantas e seres humanos. Impressoes locals sobre a bem como da o processo de metamorfose, de sua transforma^ao jequitiranaboia, um medo em tambem Os de organismo foram sentimentos e outro registradas. uma aversao ao inseto representariam obstaculos para a realiza^ao de estrategia gnificat cagao ambiental para modificar essa visao. — RESUME. Ce rapport etudie quatre aspects de I'ethnoentomologie du fulgore mois porte-lanterne {Fulgora laternaria L., 1767) a Pedra Branca au Bresil entre les hommes femmes de fevrier a mai de 2001. Les auteurs ont consul te 45 et 41 au total en utilisant un systeme de questions ouvertes. lis on observ^e leur reactions pour documenter leurs connaissances, croyances, points de vues, et comporte- ments relatifs au fulgore porte-lanterne. Les resultats montrent que les indigenes en cinq domaines ethnosemantiques, fondent classifient I'insecte differents et I'ethnotaxonomie sur leur interpretation de I'apparence exterieure de I'insecte. lis du connaissent I'habitat et les habitudes alimentaires fulgore porte-lanterne: ils disent que I'insecte vit sur le tronc du Simarouba sp. (Simaroubaceae), et se nourrit de la seve avec son 'dard'. Pour la culture locale, c'est un insecte redoutable a ou exterminer qu'il soit, k cause de ses attaques mortelles contre les plantes et les etres humains. Cet article document egalement les croyances locales relatives h du I'origine fulgore porte-lanterne, a son processus de metamorphose, et h sa un transformation en different organisme. L'insecte inspire des sentiments de peur et de degout qui genent la mise au point de vue d'une strategie efficace Une pour la protection de I'esp^ce. education en matiere d' environnement pour- grandement modifier rait ces attitudes hostiles. INTRODUCTION damned Jequitiranahoia snake. The reason for thy pains in name. is tlie Death what you is shall expect, insect! Bug zvithout a delineated shape First a cicada, then a snake, then a moth. Worthless even as medicine. Does nothing but wilt trees And disturb countryfolk. tlie Costa-Neto, 2001 Insects of the genus Fulgora 1767 commonly known and are L., as lantern-flies alligator-headed or peanut-headed Folk about them abound, insects. beliefs es- due pecially unusual to their shape. Since the European colonization of the first New World, and chroniclers, travelers, natural historians have recorded native impressions of these strange (Hogue The insects 1993). species Fulgora laternaria 1767 (- L., Laternaria phospJwrea L., 1764), for example, supposed bear a to is devastating poison up that dries those on which and trees feeds or also rests, it men both and kills animals (Carrera 1991; Costa Lima 1942: Fonsera 1926. 1932: Spring/Summer JOURNAL OF ETHNOBIOLOGY 2003 25 Janzen and Hogue Neiva and Penna Wied 1983; 1916; Poulton 1928; This 1940). belief is widespread from the Atlantic to the Andes, and shared not only by is the simple and superstitious but by persons of higher education (Poulton 1932). name In the northeastern Brazilian State of Ceara the insect's folk synonymously is used to describe a terrible person (Lenko and Papavero 1996) and applied to is who any individual has good lost his reputation. In Peru, the chkharra machaaii, known, dreaded as it is locally is as as a serpent because people believe sting its is equally mortal (Dourojeanni 1965). In Costa Rica, peasants believe that the insect's huge, peanut-shaped head is full of poison. If someone is stung by the insect, he or she must have sexual intercourse within twenty-four hours. Other- wise, he or she will die (Ross 1994). According to Ross, urgency of treatment woman varies; one told him that a 'cure' would be necessary within 15 minutes, and man, would that, for a a virgin provide the best antidote. This legend is blamed partly for Costa Rica's soaring birthrate. It is not surprising that, in Co- lombia, the colloquial expression picado por machaca (stung by the lantern-fly) la who is applied to a person has a great sexual appetite (Anzola 2001). However, men this seems to be more of a ruse invented by local and used to their personal advantage than (Hogue a valid folktale 1993). Due to their significance in legends, lantern-flies are represented in the graph- and music South American ic plastic arts, as well as in the of different countries. on In 1987, the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the Brazilian Society for Entomology two commemorative (BSE), the Brazilian Post Office issued a set of One them E stamps. of depicted the species Spinola, 1839 (actually Fidgora servillei which symbol Colombian laternaria), is the of the BSE. Similarly, the Society for Entomology has the anecdotal periodical La Machaca as one of newsletters. In its the folkloric music of Ecuador and Colombia, the fast ciimbia rhythm is said to reflect the emotions that follow from the insect's bite (Ross 1994). The insect is and (Hogue regarded as a tourist attraction has value as a souvenir 1984). In still 1964, a specimen was sold for nine dollars in Tingo Maria, Selva Central, Peru Americanos (Organizagao dos Estados 1987). Fidgora spp, belong to the order Hemiptera, suborder Fulgoromorpha, super- family Fulgoroidea, and family Fulgoridae (Bourgoin and Campbell 2002). Ful- gorids may be distinguished by a combination of the second hind tarsomere with a row of apical spines and both apical and anal area of hind wings with cross com- veins (O'Brien and Wilson 1985), According to these authors, Fulgoridae is prised of 108 genera and 543 species, which are distributed in the following geo- graphical zones: nearctic (16 species), neotropical (242 species), Ethiopian (104 how- and Australian These numbers, species). Oriental (180 species), (18 species). need be updated. The genus Fulgora ranges from southern Mexico to ever, to by The northern Argentina, and represented eight species (O'Brien 1989). ge- is Roman who name probably owes origin the ancient goddess Fulgora, neric to its word and storms. Fulgor the Latin protected houses against lightning terrible is for lightning, brightness (Ross 1994). mm Although fulgorids are notable for their size (some species are 7 in length, mm but some are 95 [O'Brien and Wilson 1985]), bizarre forms, brilliant colors, and and wax very information about the biology secretions, there is little scientific members (Hogue The exceptions are cycle of the large neotropical et al. 1989). life PACHECO COSTA-NETO and No. Vol. 26 23, 1 reported be economic importance, such as Phrictus diadema for those species to of Spinola, 1839 on cocoa trees {Tlieobroma cacao L.) in Brazil and Pyrops candehria (L.) mango and Asia on longan {EupJwria longana Lam.) {Mangifera hidica L.) in (L.) (O'Brien 1989). There are, however, some initiatives expanding our knowledge of their biology, such as the project ''Biodiversity and Evolution of Fulgoromorpha: Hoch Global Research by Bourgoin and a Initiative," (1999). and The work knowledge, behaviors present investigates the beliefs, feelings, Pedra Branca, Bahia that are related to the lantern-fly in the village of State. It is hoped knowledge wiU un- that ethnoentomological contribute to better scientific derstanding of this group. METHODOLOGY Data presented here are part of a broader research project that aims to record A the ethnoentomology of Pedra Branca's villagers. former settlement of the Kiriri was by de Souza Indians that established the Portuguese pioneer Gabriel Soares in the sixteenth century, the village located the Middle Paragua^u, west is at central region of Bahia State, northeastern Brazil (Paraiso 1985). It is inside the km municipality Santa Terezinha (which but about 13 of is also the capital), is it away from situated the base of the Serra da a mountain range It is at Jiboia, it. m of about 225 km^ of area whose peak elevation is 805 above sea level. It lies between 12^46' south latitude and 39°32' west longitude (Junca et 1999). al. was In 1991, the resident population in the county of Santa Terezinha 8,851 individuals (Centro de Estatistica e Informagoes 1994). The actual population in the village of Pedra Branca nearly 400 persons (about 80 families according to is who the local Health Assistant), depend on cassava cultivation {Manihot esculenta main Crantz.) as their economic activity. Livestock also important, mainly cattle is and goats. which This region, is totally included in the Drought Polygon, has a semi- mean arid climate with a annual temperature of 24.3''C and a mean annual rainfall mm. The from November of 582 rainy period lasts to January. The vegetation of the Serra da Jiboia includes campo rupestre savarmas on the peaks; dense, ombro- philous Atlantic coastal forest in the valleys and on the slopes; semi-deciduous and forest at the base; arboreal Caatinga in the north. The good soil for agri- is and bad cultural activities not for livestock-raising (Centro de Estatistica e Infor- magoes 1994). was Fieldwork May carried out over 64 days from February 2001 by one to who (EMCN), of the authors also did the translations into English. Both open- ended interviews followed ethnoscientific principles (Posey 1986b; Sturtevant 1964). Informal obser\^ations of behavior related were to lantern-flies also record- men and women, whose ed. Forty-five forty-one ages ranged from 13 108 years to sample old, constituted the tmiverse. This sample accounts those for just inter- who viewees provided information about the lantern-fly. Interviews were con- ducted Portuguese in since the villagers are Portuguese-speakers. Both individual and interviews were done collective to native impressions on and elicit the insect, people talked about freely other Most insects as well. of the interviews were re- Spring/Summer JOURNAL OF ETHNOBIOLOGY 2003 27 microtaoes: semi Ethnobioloey of the Universidade Estadual de Feira (Marques which 1991), considering available information all formed both through consistency checking tests and reply validity which tests, make use of repeated inquiries in synchronic and diachronic conditions, respec- One by same tively. tests consistency asking different people the question within a very short time period. Reply validity tested by asking the same question is to same in During the fieldwork period one specimen was by just of lantern-fly collected when a villager, suddenly appeared in the village one night. This allowed us it to conduct projective These consisted in displaying both the photograph tests. and the specimen itself to the informants in order to prompt them to talk about and members community the insect. Their reactions those of the rest of the of the whom (many of had never seen the insect before) were recorded during the in- The which was was terviews. specimen, identified as Fulgora laternaria L. 1767,^ handled in accordance with the usual patterns for scientific collections and was UEFS. deposited in the entomological collection at AND RESULTS DISCUSSION and The relationship between the Pedra Branca villagers the insect has four dimensions: cognitive, ideological, affective, and ethological. With regard to the cognitive dimension, native knowledge about the lantern-fly's ethnotaxonomy, habitat, feeding ecology, and transformation into another being were recorded. its way The way people behave toward (ethological dimension) results from the it how they perceive (ideological dimension) and they feel about (affective di- it it between and mension). All the interactive processes that occur villagers the lan- tem-fly (and the rest of the biotic elements from the surroundings as well) pass through these four dimensions. Despite being cryptic, nocturnal, solitary, silent, and has rare, fulgora laternaria stands out as one of the insects that a cultural importance to these villagers. Its importance is not utiUtarian, since this insect is neither a food nor a medicinal resource. Rather, 'good to think' in the Levi- it is Some gender-based differences related Straussian sense (Levi-Strauss of the 1989). and noxious to the ethnodiagnostic criteria (morphological, biological, criteria) shown which were attributed to the lantern-fly are in Table 1. known names. Twenty as a nine treated as a cohra-de-asa; eight referred to as a tiranaboia; it jitirana; it it A informant three termed a cobra-cega, single called a serra-velha. it it synonyms found throughout These Several are Brazil. are: gitirana, jitirana, jaqidHrana, jequitirana, jaquiranabdia, jaquitiranabdia, jequitiranaboia, jiquitiranaboia, ji- cobra-voadora, cobra-do-eucalipto, cobra~de-asa, cobra-do- tiranaboia, tiranaboia, tiramboia, serpente-voador gafanhoto a, namboui however, savs Iherine (1963), that PACHECO COSTA-NETO and No. 28 Vol. 23, 1 — Gender . during Branca Gender Male Female Diagnostic criteria (n 41) Percentage (n 45) Percentage Morphological criteria Head's conspicuousr\ess 7 8.1 10 11.6 Absence of eyes 7 8.1 8 9.3 mouth Absence 2 of 2.3 Presence of sting 13 15.1 7 8.1 Presence of eye spots 2 2.3 1 1.1 wax Presence of 1 1.1 Biological criteria Reproduction 1 1.1 Habitat (Serra da Jiboia) 8 9.3 9 10.4 Feeding habit 3 3.4 1 1.1 Host tree 8 9.3 2 2.3 Change another being 2 to 2.3 Noxious criteria It kills /dries trees 13 15.1 22 25.5 kills/dries people 12 13.9 15 17.4 It causes blindness It 1 1.1 venomous* It is 12 13.9 19 22.0 * This noxious characteristic includes others like 'angry', 'bad', 'dangerous', 'harmful', and 'fierce'. word ymologically, the jaquirana comes from the Tupi-Guarani language: nakyrd means cicada (Sampaio 1995). In the 1926 issue of Revista do Museu Paulista the term appears. According Cruz jakiranahoia to (1935), a corruption of andira- it is which means animal with body naboia, a bat-like {andird) a snake Tastevin (nihoia). and Carrera corroborate the Tupi-Guarani word, (1923) (1991) origin the for which can be glossed as snake-like cicada (yaki rana mhoya 'cicada', 'similar', By using name, 'snake'). this folk indigenous peoples have recognized resem- the between and blance Fulgora species cicadas. Both are jumping, free-feeding he- mipterans. In folk biological classification systems, names bound- that cross the communities and aries of extend to a larger region have gained great cultural significance (Berlin 1992). In the nomenclature system of the Jibaro-Aguaruna Indians, the lantern-fly known manchi Among dapi is as (Guallart 1968). the Bororo Indians, the term aroe e^oreu is the generic designation given to these insects; means an insect it similar in its external shape to a corpse wrapped up in mats and Ven- (Albiseti The turelli 1962). Xerente people which means call anquecedarti, flying-snake it The who (Posey 1986a). Canela Indians inhabit the south of Barra do Corda, Maranhao refer to both as ka-no-iard and heganunui. it Urifortunately, the ety- mology words of these has not been provided (Vanzoliru 1956-58). The Significance of the Insect's External Features Naming and The for Folk Perception.- abundance of terms currently used to designate the insects of the genus Fu Spring/Summer JOURNAL OF ETHNOBIOLOGY 2003 29 FIGURE 1.— mm Lateral view of Fulgom latermria specimen 50 (Drawing cf. L.; is long. speamen presumably from awesome When results their appearance (Figure the infor 1). mants talked about the insect, they mentioned the most prominent character — head whose the shape rreemmiinnddeedd tthheemm tthhaatt ooff aa ssnnaakkee''ss oorr aa cayman's head. was similarity to a chestnut noted can be seen too, as in the fc ees' assertions: The head is strange. It looks like a chestnut. (Mr. E., 62 years old) head Its looks like a cayman's head. (Mrs, E., 34 years old) The head is very ugly. It is like a snake. (Mrs. V, 58 years old) am explaining that head reminds [me] of an head. Have I its alligator's you ever seen has a closed mouth and head spongy, very it? It its is And spongy, isn't it? It has nothing inside. it is horrible. (Mrs. N,, 38 years old) It looks like a moth, but its head is like a snake's. (Mr. P., 54 years old) Much people remark on as native to the region the similarity of lantern-fly snakes and Gilmore to crocodiles, scientifically-trained observ^ers do, too. (1986) comments on the insect's "swollen face, which fantastically like a cayman's head, is [and] even reproduces protuberant eyes and sharpened teeth." Spix and Mar- its name had wrote tins (1938) already noticed this resemblance as they the folk When two jacari-mamhoya, the cayman-like snake. Poulton described spec- (1932) imens coming from Amazon, he the Brazilian reported that the entire visible him surface of the insect in an attitude of rest (except the wings) reminded of a cayman. As O'Brien and Wilson (1985) stated, members of Fulgora have a head cayman that resembles a peanut (dorsal view) or the head of an alligator or (lateral name E view). The given Brailovsky and Beutelspachen, 1978 scientific to crocodilia from Mexico reveals the resemblance of this species to a cayman (Brailovsky and A Beutelspachen certain likeness with the head of snakes can be admitted, 1978). mac- especially the following features are taken into account: the lateral square if ulae to the labial scales and pits of boids, and in some Fulgora species, a black spot between the false eye and nostril to the loreal fossa of arboreal pit vipers of the genus Bothrops (Hogue 1984). The insect has also been compared to a winged common name dragon (Cascudo and Hogue introduced the dragon- (1993) 1972), headed E based on shape and mimetic pattern of the large insect for latcmaria the NETO No. Vol. 23, 1 30 upturned head head protuberance he believed actually simulates the of a that medium-sized, arboreal lizard. appendix According Fonseca the structure of the cephalic in this to (1926), and and other fulgorid genera of the Fulgorini tribe {Phrictus Spinola, 1839 Ca- owed development thedra Kirkaldy, 1903) to the ''extraordinary of certain re- is which extended forward Someone constitute a gibbosity." which connected the digestive system to is presumably sap can which minous membracids' (Grasse process similar to those of thoracic structures 1952), How- and mammals). a defense against natural enemies (birds, lizards, small is ever, there are no reports that confirm the protective advantage of this formation (Hagmann 1928). Birds, for example fly-catchers, are predators of other fulgorids, shown by stomach contents and photographs.^ as the analysis of Two seems da folk species of lantern-fly to inhabit the region of the Serra who According to a single interviewee provided that information, the true Jiboia. species of jequitiranaboia possesses a round head, whereas the false one is slender more (Mr. 34 years Actually, one might hypothesize the existence of than old). T., one species of Fulgora living sympatrically in this area, since three other species E are found within the state of Bahia: lampetis Burm., 1845, graciliceps Blanchard, ¥. 1849, and E Germar, 1821 (O'Brien 1989). Thus, further ethnotaxonomic hicifera studies are urgently needed. Perhaps accurate recording of trees on which eggs would are laid help.^ The middle the line of the going who many nded. Dukinfield has spent Jones, years in Brazil, corroborated the statement about the native superstitions by not- ing the insect had a poisoned spine or point at the end of head that capable its is wound and of flying at a man's chest inflicting a (Poulton 1928). When people talk about the head, they always refer to the 'sting' as well. They think it is the vehicle the insect uses to 'inject the mortal poison': has It a sting in its belly. If it strikes a tree it dries up. It can be a jackfruit can be a coconut tegrifolia L.], it tree [Cociis nucift M he/she will (Mr. die. old) beneath moment Its sting is [the body]. In the going to on a person, it is sit then stretches the sting out. (Mr. 41 years old) it L,, When has mischievous a It sting. drives the sting against the tree it it the plant. (Mrs. 82 years kills old) S., when When said that the danger It is is it is furious. it flies it extends the beak forward. Wherever beak little ('sting') that touches Cause is it . . , venomous when not It is fierce it is cakn. (Q, 22 years old) . , . It doesn't have a mouth but a sting. (Mr. E., 80 years old) Spring/Summer JOURNAL OF ETHNOBIOLOGY 2003 31 Another morphological was emphasized by characteristic that the informants presumed refers to a lack of eyes. Of 86 interviewees, 15 have called attention to One the insect's blindness. of the main reasons widespread when for the panic a lantern-fly seen near the community supposed As is this blindness. is stressed by when Fonseca (1926), the insect in the middle of the living beings ''flies it slaughters without The lives distinction of class." following testimony describes the dread people about zigzag "That feel its flight: tiranaboia like For is this. example, people must have a of defense because comes where lot ... flying, If it Because The it it is blind. It strikes. tree dies. If a person, is also said that . . it . [if] it strikes, [he/she] dies" (Mrs. E., 52 years old). However, the apparent blind- ness of the lantern-fly has been questioned by one of the informants: "People say it is blind. But what! Once I killed one and saw two eyes like those of a cicada" I (Mr. 62 years E., old). wings some Besides the head, the deserve attention because of the eye spots: "It has marks like these on the wing. It looks like two eyes that we see when it On same flies" (Mr. E., 62 years old). another occasion, this informant said: "I know when it is beautiful the insect is flying because there are two eyes beneath One the wings." female informant compared the eye spots with those markings on The the peacock's feathers. literature records that Fulgora laternaria resembles an owl butterfly (genus Caligo, the 'witch' in the local perception) because the hind wings, shorter and wider than the fore wings, present large marks that look like the owl's eyes (Ihering 1968; Penny and Arias 1982). Such eye spots would seem to serve a startle or warning function as well (O'Brien 1989). As Ross (1994) much when more states, false eyes are frightening revealed unexpectedly, causing hesitation or delay, in a nervous predator's decision to attack. Interviewees stressed the presence of 'ash' released by the insect. Fulgorids are known by their wax secretion, whose white filaments solidify in contact with and substance resembling the take the aspect of a flakes of asbestos (Ihering air Some 1968). species Cerogenes auricoma Burmeister, 1835) produce elaborate (e.g., trailing plumes of white wax from the abdomen. Fulgora laternaria do not develop powdery wax abundant this trailing plume, but the thin, white, is often so that it covers part of the body. This helps the insect to look like the lichens or insect's primary scars on the bark (Carrera 1956). In fact, fulgorids' defense is their ability to be homochromous with the substrate on which they live (Robinson 1982). The white powder covers body has been regarded as a strong emetic. The that its was enough provoke vomiting (Burmeister This simple inhalation of to 1952). it wax Colombia (Anzola considered highly aphrodisiac in 2001). secreted is How way Pedra Branca Categorized.—The the villagers of per- tlw Lantern-fly YJas preponderant ceive the jeqtdtiranahoia's external morphology plays a role in their ethnoentomological system. The shape of the head, the presence of classification the contribute aeaaiy men, animais, to the imaginary construction of an animal potentially to way could and Depending on informants perceived the lantern-fly the it plants. 47% About domains. of the 86 inter- be ethnosemantic assigned to five distinct 8% 10% them regarded as a moth, classified viewees as a snake, of it classified it PACHECO COSTA-NETO No. 32 and Vol. 23, 1 1% as a cicada, 3% considered as a beetle, and thought about it as a grass- it it kind hopper. This ethnocategorization appears in the local expression 'Tt is a of/' The other 32% of the respondents gave no information related to the insect's folk Some examples of the informants' statements concerning the insect classification. ethnotaxonomy are cited below: It is a beetle, but it has the shape of a snake. (E., 24 years old) moth when wings imitates a are folded. (Mr. A., 56 years old) its It M moth. has (Mrs. a caterpillar's face. It 55 years old) A brave beetle. It is not a snake, but a beetle. (Mr, Q., 33 years old) A a snake, winged-snake. (Mr. Z. 108 years old) It is isn't it? P., a kind of grasshopper (Mrs. 78 years old) It is L., . . . venomous and People say a snake a kind of cicada. (Mr. D., 78 it is it is years old) In Pedra Branca, the continual inclusion of Fulgora laternaria in the 'snake' domain and was the strong aversion to observed through the projective tests. it When a villager captured one specimen, he did not touch and he was followed it who by group wanted more a small of curious people to see the weird creature On warned closely. that occasion, they that a winged-snake should not be han- who One dled! informant, wondered about the presence of as she was 'feet' (legs) looking at a picture, questioned the insect's classification as a venomous snake: A "Is this the winged-snake? Even on photograph had no knowledge about I it. much footed-winged snake? resembles more an With and It insect, a thing. leg (M ethnosemantic domain used by majority the informants the to classify the jequitiranahdia. Yet snake (the animal itself) lexeme includes 'insect' ethnobiolo northeastern insects However, boa 1997). the {Boa constrictor 1768) not considered an L., is 'insect' because it is useful (they eat as food). Costa-Neto (2000a) has explained the it way human societies construct the ethnocategory through Entomo- the 'insect' Ambivalence human projective Hypothesis: beings tend and to project attitudes feelings of harmfulness, danger, irritability, repugnance, and disdain toward non- animals insect toads, (e.g., rats, scorpions, vultures, snakes, bats, lizards, earth- among worms, by spiders, them others), associating with the culturally defined The category 'insect'. idea of ambivalence comes from and sociology the relates to among attitudes that oscillate diverse, and sometimes, antagonistic values. Pro- from jection results the psychological processes by which person a attributes to another being own the reasons for his/her and/or conflict behavior. Accordingly, can be seen 'insects' as a representational category since they become metaphor- ical realizations of other beings or their qualities (Greene Nolan and Rob- 1995).