What is there in the name? from Cricket to CRICKET*

 

Photocredit: iStock-Captainflash accessed on 27th March 2024 

Some years ago, I gave a seminar on Bt resistance in the American bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera in the University of Melbourne, Australia. At the end of seminar, Prof Dean said it is not American bollworm, but a cotton bollworm. In USA, H. armigera is not found. So, it is misnomer to call it an American bollworm. In India, we are so used to calling it as an American bollworm, that many will find it odd or difficult to relate to calling as cotton bollworm, least they confuse with other bollworms. This species does not find mention in the H M Lefroy’s book, Indian Insect life published in 1909. It is in the latter half of the 20^th century that this insect species was referred to as pod borer [MS Mani’s book, General Entomology] and some time, bollworm of cotton. The American bollworm stuck from the time we started growing upland cotton [new world cotton] belonging to Gossypium hirsutum and to some extent G. barbedanse, especially in 1970s. It is during this decade that this insect has become a key pest of hybrid cotton and ruined cotton farmers over the next three decades. Since then, it became a house-hold name in the rural India.

This so-called misnomer sets a ball rolling as to what it should be properly named, and can we have common name across the nations like scientific names?

Consider another polyphagous insect name, commonly called tobacco caterpillar, Spodoptera litura in India. It is also named as tobacco leaf eating caterpillar, cotton leafworm, cluster caterpillar and tobacco cutworm. Since it is common in the oriental region, it is also called Oriental leafworm moth. The pest name changes depending upon its important feeding behaviour in the localities or regions and host crops, it feeds on. S. litura is an important pest in India and is primarily known to feed on tobacco. Later, in the early 21^st century, it became a key pest of soybean and later on Bt cotton. Despite outbreaks on soybean and then on Bt cotton, the name tobacco caterpillar stuck, and nobody called it as cotton leafworm, as it is known in some regions of the world. Interestingly this insect is also called cutworm. Like Agrotis ypsilon larvae that cut the stem of young seedlings, there are few reports of its being cutworm. The pest is essentially a leaf eating caterpillar, more in gregarious stage as young larvae feed on the underside of leaves giving sieve-like appearance and later, as old larvae spread out, they feed on leaves leaving only veins.

So, while host crops and feeding habits are of importance to name the insect, so are other considerations. Like for Spodoptera frugiperda, a key pest of cereals which is called the fall armyworm. Seasonal occurrence is the basis for naming this insect species. This pest is most commonly found in Americas. It has become invasive in Africa, Asia and Australia in last few years, where it largely feeds upon maize grown in monsoon season. Thus, In Africa and Asia, it is not in fall season that it is a key pest. Should we therefore call it more appropriately as maize or paddy armyworm or monsoon armyworm?

Looks are important too for naming insects. We have a Death’s head hawkmoth, Acherontia Atropos. And this name is good for other species like A. styx, A. Lachesis. Similar to this, is another insect, stick insect, also called walking sticks belonging to Phasmatodea [Phasmida]. But strangely, this is also named as stick bug or bug sticks. Another that prays until it attacks its prey is the praying mantis/mantid. The mantis’s ability to turn head 180 degrees makes it a good predator even if they seem to be in praying pose. Since most are religious in nature, seeing these insects is supposed to bring good luck.

Bugs are mostly those that sucks. So, we have plant bugs. We have bed bugs that suck blood not in true sense. More dreaded of this kind is Assassin bug. While assassin bug especially reduviids are useful to farmers, others not. There is one that transmits Chagas disease in humans and hence is also called Chagas bug. Assassin bugs becomes kissing bug for those who are kissed around mouth, as is reported in some regions.

Like true bugs, mosquitoes suck blood of vertebrates and are the carriers of diseases. But here is another, tea mosquito that feed upon tea leaves.

In this mess of common names that extends beyond some examples given herein, amazing is the feat of the Entomological Society of America that takes up this exercise of naming the common names so patiently and diligently. Hurray to it and similar organizations.

And hurray to that chirping sound producing cricket, which is now becoming extinct in urban homes. It is this chirping yet humble cricket that has given to a sound-blasting, money making sport which binds millions of fans all over the world, a name, and this is CRICKET. Hurray to CRICKET. Yes, there is something in the name.

 

*Indian version is Gully danda-Bharat mata ki jai.