Science Memes

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bugs (mander.xyz)

submitted 6 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 6 months ago

Anyone know what the first known case of 'bug' exclusively referring to Hemipterans/Heteropterans? The first use of bug being applied to arthropods was in the 1620s in reference to bedbugs (in Hemiptera but not Heteroptera) with the term ladybug (not in Hemiptera) first attested in the 1690s. Both predate Linnean taxonomy. So why and when did entomologists decide to coin this highly restrictive definition? It's a very English-language term so it surely wasn't when the taxon was created by Linnaeus.