Insect experts remove moth’s ‘gypsy’ name, deemed offensive

Bug experts are dropping the common name of a destructive insect because it’s considered an ethnic slur: the gypsy moth.

The Entomological Society of America, which oversees the common names of bugs, is getting rid of the common name of that critter and the lesser-known gypsy ant. The group last week announced that for the first time it changed a common name of an insect because it was offensive. In the past they’ve only reassigned names that weren’t scientifically accurate.

“It’s an ethnic slur to begin with that’s been rejected by the Romani people a long time ago,” society President Michelle Smith said. “Second, nobody wants to be associated with a harmful invasive pest.”

The society is taking a hard look at some of the more than 2,000 common insect names to remove derogatory and geographically inaccurate ones. About 20 years ago, a committee of fish experts renamed the jewfish as the goliath grouper.

The moths are invasive and destructive critters in the caterpillar stage. They have a voracious appetite that can denude entire forests of leaves.

The moths probably got their name because as larvae they have hair with small air pockets that act like balloons allowing them to float for miles, wandering like the group of people they were named after. Another theory is that male adult moths have a tan color that could be similar to Romani people.

The Entomological Society is now on the hunt for a new common name, a process that will take months, Smith said. Until then, the moths should be called by their scientific name, Lymantria dispar or L. dispar.