National Invasive Species Information Center
U.S. Department of Agriculture

Resource Search

Provides access to all site resources, with the option to search by species common and scientific names. Resources can be filtered by Subject, Resource Type, Location, or Source. Search Help

Displaying 1 to 3 of 3

  • 'Spongy Moth' Adopted as New Common Name for Lymantria dispar

    • Mar 2, 2022

    • Entomological Society of America.

    • The ESA Governing Board voted unanimously last week to approve the addition of "spongy moth" to ESA's Common Names of Insects and Related Organisms List, completing a process started in July 2021 when the previous name, "gypsy moth," was removed due to its use of a derogatory term for the Romani people. Translation of the French name is based on the destructive forest pest's sponge-like egg masses.

  • ‘Northern Giant Hornet’ Adopted as Common Name for Vespa Mandarinia

    • Jul 25, 2022

    • Entomological Society of America.

    • The Entomological Society of America has adopted "northern giant hornet" for the species Vespa mandarinia in its Common Names of Insects and Related Organisms List. Vespa mandarinia is an invasive hornet native to Asia that has been the target of eradication efforts in Washington state, USA, and British Columbia, Canada, after individual hornets were first discovered there in 2019. It has been referred to elsewhere as "Asian giant hornet" or "murder hornet."

  • Renaming Species: The Quest to Decolonize Animal Names

    • Aug 25, 2023

    • The Nature Conservancy.

    • The Movement to Rename Species. The common names of some species have not aged well. These scientists want to change them. The impact of a name that offends can be far-reaching.