Identification
Scientific Name:
Aegiale hesperiaris
Common Names:
Giant skipper, Maguey worm, gusano de Maguey, hespˇrie gˇante, ver de Maguey or ver d'agave

Classification
Class: Insecta
Order: Lˇpidoptera
Super-family: Hesperiidae
Subfamily: Megathymidae
Genus: Aegiale
Species: hesperiasis

 

Habitat
Giant skippers find the mountainous regions of central Mexico, where agave plants and other related species flourish, particularly hospitable. They are also found in southern and western North America.

Profile
Aegiale hesperiaris skippers lay their eggs in the leaves of succulents such as yucca and agave plants. The larvae then eat the flesh of the cactus stems and roots-sometimes boring out the cactus completely!
 
Since time immemorial, people in the heart of mountainous central Mexico have prepared alcohol (mescal and tequila) by distilling agave sap. When peasants cut open the fleshy leaves of the cactus to collect the sap, they often find Aegiale hesperiaris larvae and eagerly collect them.
 
An Aegiale hesperiaris larva is added to bottles of better-quality mescal. After soaking in the alcohol for about three months, the larva imparts a particular flavour that characterizes fine mescal.
 
The stout, compact bodies of adult Aegiale hesperiaris and their wingspan of over 40 mm make them very good flyers.

The fleshy red caterpillars of Aegiale hesperiaris are considered a delicacy in Mexico, where they are called gusanos del Maguey. When deep fried or braised and seasoned with a spicy sauce, they are truly delicious' or so Georges Brossard tells us.
  

Maguey worms are highly nutritious. One 100 g serving contains over 650 calories, or the equivalent of two plates of rice.
  

Those who add this species of insect to their diet can honestly say that they have butterflies in their stomachs!