• smeg@feddit.uk
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      11
      ·
      2 days ago

      Entomologists reserve the term bug for Hemiptera or Heteroptera, which does not include other arthropods or insects of other orders such as ants, bees, beetles, or butterflies. In some varieties of English, all terrestrial arthropods (including non-insect arachnids and myriapods) also fall under the colloquial understanding of bug.

      Sounds like those entomologists should have tried a bit harder either in educating the masses or choosing names!

      • YoiksAndAway@piefed.zip
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        1 day ago

        In my experience academics will often refer to hemiptera as “true bugs”, and not get too didactic about it other than that.

      • Amnesigenic@lemmy.ml
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        1 day ago

        Not really fair to blame academics for common misuse of a term from their respective field, they’re all vastly outnumbered and people can be extremely stubborn when being corrected on terminology