Scientific Organization Erases Informal Names of Two Insects Due to ‘Racist’ Connotations

Gypsy Moth

On Wednesday, a scientific organization announced that it was changing the names of two species of insects, due to the informal names allegedly being “racist,” the Daily Caller reports.

The Entomological Society of America (ESA) announced in a statement that it would end the use of the terms “gypsy moth” and “gypsy ant,” the colloquial names for the Lymantria dispar and the Aphaenogaster araneoides, respectively. The statement, issued by ESA President Michelle Smith, claimed that these names were offensive to the Romani people in Europe, who have been known as gypsies for centuries.

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