Hello,

Sandy Liebhold suggested that I send this message to the FORENT community.

The Entomological Society of America has a list of ‘approved’ common names for insects.

It has discontinued use of 'gypsy moth' as the common name for Lymantria dispar (due to concerns that it was derogatory toward the Roma) and has initiated a process for determining a new official common name for this species. This will be a challenging transition.

There is a complex process of committees that will work on this, including asking for public input. So, there will be opportunities to provide feedback on candidates for the new common name. But, in the meantime, you can suggest a new name for Lymantria dispar here.

These suggestions will be passed on for consideration by the renaming committee. However, be aware that there are some guidelines (e.g., you can’t use the name of a geographic region in the name, etc.). Information on ESA's new criteria for common names is available here. Of course for such a common insect, I think it would be good for the common name to not be long and complex.

Thank you very much for your input! I hope you can come up with some great suggestions.

Best regards, Ann Hajek

Dr. Ann E. Hajek

Department of Entomology

Cornell University

6126 Comstock Hall

129 Garden Ave.

Ithaca, New York  14853-2601  USA

Office phone: 607-254-4902