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unlikely to have common names. There includes more than 2,000 *approved*
are more insects than vernacular names, common names. Proposed names are
which adds to insect name confusion. reviewed, vetted, and voted on before
Finally, there is the issue of using one making it to the list. A very recent
common name to cover an entire group of example of the process was earlier this
insects, such as a Family or even an Order. month when the ESA approved a change
It’s useful to recognize a ground beetle, for the common name of Lymantria dispar.
but that common name is shared by all The insect, formerly known as the gypsy
34,000 species in the Carabidae Family moth, is now called the “spongy moth,” a
worldwide. Common names for insect reference to the sponge-like appearance of
orders are handy but not precise. When the egg masses laid on tree trunks. The
you ask me about an ant, it could be any name change removes a derogatory term
of over 700 species in North America. for the Romani people.
Similar to the international rules for Finally, the rules for insect common
giving insects scientific names, there are names create some confusion by what
conventions and guidelines for common looks like arbitrary word combinations,
names. The Entomological Society of but it is actually deeply seated in the
America (ESA) maintains the “Common understanding of insect systematics. I’m
Names of Insects Database,” which
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IPMA Connection • 1st Quarter, 2022 Page 7
