Entomologists reserve the term bug for Hemiptera or Heteroptera, which does not include other arthropods or insects of other orders such as ants, bees, beetles, or butterflies.
Sure, if you’re talking about ‘true bugs’ (Hemiptera), but the difference from colloquial meaning is incredibly clear, and that Wikipedia page itself makes the case clear when it mentions that ladybugs are not true bugs (they’re beetles), but I would absolutely call beetles and ladybugs ‘bugs’ separate from the taxonomy. Perhaps it isn’t perfectly scientifically accurate, but humans don’t usually divide things into groups taxonomically for day to day usage, they divide them behaviorally, characteristically (see: fish).
If it looks like a bug, behaves like a bug, and fills the ecological role of a bug, calling it a bug is plenty accurate for day to day use. And characteristically? Them’s bugs. Crayfish are called mud bugs for a reason.
According to graduate surveys 454 entomology degrees were awarded in 2023 in the USA, the most common type being a Masters. According to statista an estimated 4,200,000 people in the USA received higher education degrees in 2023, it is therefore reasonable to assume that roughly 99.99% of the USA already had an entomology degree.
yes it is
wikipedia
Sure, if you’re talking about ‘true bugs’ (Hemiptera), but the difference from colloquial meaning is incredibly clear, and that Wikipedia page itself makes the case clear when it mentions that ladybugs are not true bugs (they’re beetles), but I would absolutely call beetles and ladybugs ‘bugs’ separate from the taxonomy. Perhaps it isn’t perfectly scientifically accurate, but humans don’t usually divide things into groups taxonomically for day to day usage, they divide them behaviorally, characteristically (see: fish).
If it looks like a bug, behaves like a bug, and fills the ecological role of a bug, calling it a bug is plenty accurate for day to day use. And characteristically? Them’s bugs. Crayfish are called mud bugs for a reason.
Here’s the thing…
I like you, pedantic or not.
Exactly. Anything can be bugs. Isopods can be bugs. Shrimp can be bugs. Weird kittens can be bugs. Even you can be bugs.
Entomologists use it that way, but most people aren’t entomologists.
citation needed
According to graduate surveys 454 entomology degrees were awarded in 2023 in the USA, the most common type being a Masters. According to statista an estimated 4,200,000 people in the USA received higher education degrees in 2023, it is therefore reasonable to assume that roughly 99.99% of the USA already had an entomology degree.
Sources:
https://datausa.io/profile/cip/entomology https://www.statista.com/statistics/185153/degrees-in-higher-education-earned-in-the-united-states/