A menacing pest simply turned a bit much less problematic, no less than socially, after getting an replace to its frequent identify. Lymantria dispar is an invasive insect beforehand referred to as the gypsy moth — a label that comprises an ethnic slur. On March 2, the Entomological Society of America renamed L. dispar the spongy moth.
The up to date time period is a nod to the moth’s porous egg casing. It was chosen by means of ESA’s Better Common Names Project, after lots of of recent identify recommendations for L. dispar poured in from the general public after the society retired the outdated identify final July (SN: 8/25/21). ESA elected the moth for a rebrand primarily as a consequence of its frequent presence in dialog. Now, entomologists and gardeners alike can focus on the pervasive pest with out utilizing pejorative language. It’s one motion in a bigger mission to decolonize science, which goals, partly, to create a extra various and inclusive environment in science.
“Decolonizing science is actually a really broad process,” says Jessica Ware, the president of ESA and an entomologist on the American Museum of Natural History. “Addressing common names is just one piece of that.”
This is the primary rebranding that the challenge has tackled. It will proceed to collect enter on insect names that perpetuate stereotypes or include insulting references. Ware says dozens of species are ready to be addressed, such because the Asian large hornet (Vespa mandarinia). And bugs aren’t the one offenders: Birds, mammals and vegetation usually have names referencing racial or ethnic slurs or white colonizers.