Explore & Engage
'Gypsy Moth'
Lymantria disparate
In order to increasingly spread awareness about insects that have ecological and economic impacts, it is important to rename those with racist, inappropriate, and offensive names. Racism is prevalent in many plant and animal names. The insect this project will focus on is the Gypsy moth, scientifically known as the Lymantria disparate Entomological Society of America will be renaming the gypsy moth and gypsy ant as the term “gypsy” is an ethnic slur to the Romani people, who are Europe's largest ethnic minority. This project will explore the background of the moth, critical issue, and insect-human connection.
Field of Study
The field of Artistic Activism includes such disciplines as empowering & supporting individuals and communities through an engagement of creative expression. This field of study touches base on a number of other larger disciplines as well; such as, humanities, natural science, political science, and others. “The best practices of artistic activists can be shared with others to positively transform society and address sensitive issues.” (Juio Hanson) Examples of this would include various formats; such as; Act Up’s campaign poster Silence = Death” (1987), the clip of Yoko Ono performing “Cut Piece” (1965), or the 2016-17 series from LaToya Ruby Frazier’s, “Flint is Family.” “As such, Activist Careers describe various careers through which people try to make a positive change in the world. Since there is no single way to have a career in activism, it is up to you to be creative and come up with how you plan on combining activism in your career of choice.” (University of Toronto) For example, when the “Entomological Society of America, an organization that oversees bug naming, dropped the term “gypsy moth,” considered an ethnic slur to the Romani people.” (Minnah Arshad) Such controversial problems as discussed will create activists; for the environment or any other cause.
the Critical Issue
Racism is a critical issue in insect names. This is a long-standing goal that will “make communication easier between scientists and the audiences they serve.” (Adam Rosenberg) As a part of its Better Common Names Project, the Entomological Society of America will be renaming the gypsy moth and gypsy ant as the term “gypsy” is an ethnic slur to the Romani people, who are “Europe's largest ethnic minority and face discrimination.” (James Doubek) Racism in insect names is important to the field of study of Artistic Activism because it will “positively transform society and address sensitive issues.” (Juio Hanson) The gypsy moth and gypsy ant have influenced this issue by setting the grounding for calling for the remaining of other insects that have derogative names or disregard what the insect is called by tribal communities. Controversy around this issue is that traditionalists would prefer to keep the names of insects the same.
"Some people who identify themselves as ethnically Roma (also called Romani or Romany) are offended by “Gypsy,” and most standard dictionaries have reservations about using it to mean Roma. On the other hand, some Roma people don’t mind being called “Gypsies” and others even embrace the term." (Patricia O'Conner)
Features
The featured insect is Lymantria dispar, otherwise and previously known as the ‘Gypsy moth.’ Native to Eurasia, the gypsy moth has become an invasive species to North America. Found in temperate forests or wooded areas the gypsy moth has the ability to defoliate almost any kind of tree.
Taxonomy & Physical Description
Regarding the taxonomy, the order is Lepidoptera, the family is Erebidae, and the scientific name is Lymantria dispar. To provide a physical description, “adult male gypsy moths are light brown with dark brown wings, which have a series of black bands down their lengths. Male antennae are feathery in texture and appearance. Adult females are slightly larger than males and are mostly white, also with a few dark bands on the wings. Female bodies are covered with tiny hairs and their antennae are thread-like in texture and appearance.” (Aaron Wasserman)
Range & Habitat
Gypsy moths are native to southern Europe, northern Africa, central and southern Asia, and Japan. To mate, female moths “release a sex pheromone from their abdominal glands,which attracts males.” [1] They are herbivores and prefer to feed on oak, alber broad leaf trees, Douglas fir, and western hemlock needle trees. They are nocturnal, sedentary, and colonial.
This Moth's Name was a Slur; Gets New Name
Previously known as the "gypsy moth," the species Lymantria dispar is now the "spongy moth.” “The moth's new name was chosen from more than 200 nominations evaluated by a group of more than 50 scientists convened by the society. The group sought insight from many experts and organizations and collected more than 1,000 responses about seven finalist names. "Spongy moth" refers to its sponge-like egg masses and comes from the common name "spongieuse," used for the insect in France and French-speaking Canada, according to the news release.” (Kristen Rogers)
the Human Connection
As part of a goal to simplify communication between scientists and the general population, the Entomological Society of America will be renaming the gypsy moth and gypsy ant as the term “gypsy” is an ethnic slur to the Romani people. Racism is prevalent in insect names, and it is important to address this sensitive issue to progressively spread awareness about this moth. Known by the scientific name Lymantria dispar, the moth is woven into entomology, technology, and society. “The moth contributes to defoliation, and there are natural boom and bust cycles. There’s a fungus that keeps the moth population in check, but climate change threatens to slide the scales in favor of the moth. What will that mean? Well, we evaluated areas that have had great outbreaks in the moth population. Using detailed defoliation maps, we estimated that housing prices decreased by 2-5% near defoliated areas. So, you can start to see the connection—in unexpected ways—between climate change and people’s lives.” (University of Chicago) A critical perspective on the insect human connection ties to both ecological and economic impacts. The Forest Service and Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) are currently working on a program to protect forests and trees from the effects of the moth, as it also alters ecosystems and can pose health hazards. They can also change water quality, lower property values, and reduce the value of timber.
Sources
Hanson, Julio, "The power of artistic activism" (2020). Theses and Dissertations. 1141. https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/etd/1141
La Force, Thessaly, Lescaze, Zoe, Hass, Nancy, and Miller, M.H. “The 25 Most Influential Works of American Protest Art Since World War II.” The New York Times. 15 October 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/15/t-magazine/most-influential-protest-art.html
University of Toronto. “Careers in Activism: Careers with a Conscience.” University of Toronto. 2020. https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/careers/sites/files/careers/public/shared/pdf/panel_packages/2018/careers-in-activism.pdf
Arshad, Minnah. “’Gypsy’ Moths are being renamed due to ethnic slur: What to know about the destructive bug.” USA Today. 13 July 2021. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/07/13/gypsy-moth-renamed-historic-outbreak/7948016002/
Rosenberg, Adam. “Insect scientist want your help renaming bugs with racist names.” Mashable. 10 July 20201. https://mashable.com/article/gypsy-moth-ant-name-change-entomological-society-america
Rogers, Kristen. “An invasive species now has a new name to replace ethnic slur.” CNN. 04 March 2022. https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/04/world/gypsy-moth-spongy-moth-name-change-scn/index.html
Hanson, Julio, "The power of artistic activism" (2020). Theses and Dissertations. 1141. https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/etd/1141
O’Conner, Patrica T., and Kellerman, Stewart. “Is ‘Gypsy’ a slur?” Greammarphobia. 18 March 2019. https://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2019/03/gypsy.html
Wasserman, Aaron. “Lymantria dispar.” Animal Diversity Web. https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Lymantria_dispar
Doubek, James. “Insect Experts Will Change the Name of The ‘Gypsy Moth’ and ‘Gypsy Ant.” NPR. 10 July 2021. https://www.npr.org/2021/07/10/1014787096/insect-experts-will-change-the-name-of-the-gypsy-moth-and-gypsy-ant
“How bats, wolves and moths can shape our lives, according to a UChicago economist.” University of Chicago. 28 Jan 2022. https://news.uchicago.edu/story/how-bats-wolves-and-moths-can-shape-our-lives-according-uchicago-economist
Fig. 1 - The moth Lymantria dispar. Credit...Les Gibbon/Alamy
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/09/science/gypsy-moth-romani-entomological-society.html
Fig. 2 - Your Gypsy is a Person | Marco Ponzianelli
https://www.dodho.com/your-gypsy-is-a-person-by-marco-ponzianelli/
Fig. 3 - Photo by USDA APHIS PPQ, Bugwood.org.
https://www.invasive.org/browse/detail.cfm?imgnum=2652079
Fig. 4 - Lymantria dispar (formerly gypsy moth) females and egg masses (Photo: T. Simisky)
https://ag.umass.edu/landscape/fact-sheets/lymantria-dispar-formerly-gypsy-moth
Fig. 5 – We say no to racism by Kaesler Media
https://stock.adobe.com/images/we-say-no-to-racism/48650224
Fig. 6 – Gypsy Moth. Two views of same specimen by Didier Decouens https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Lymantria_dispar#/media/File:Lymantria_dispar_MHNT.CUT.2012.0.357_Col_de_Cricheto_Bastelica_male.jpg