Nature Note #129: Common Animal Misnomers
As I sit in my parent's kitchen having just returned from Pennsylvania for the winter, I'm thinking back on some of my teaching experiences that I've had over the past year or so and remembering the names children will give to certain animals. I mentioned one of these in post #125 when I was talking about what bugs were common in Pennsylvania during the fall. These would be the Common True Katydids ( Pterophylla camellifolia ) that the kids call "leafbugs". They're not wrong as they do look like a leaf has spawned legs and beady little eyes. But despite being named for something else entirely (the name Katydid is allegory about a girl who refused to tell the truth about something and suffered dire consequences as a result), but this other name suits them just as well. Another insect that springs to mind is the water strider ( Gerridae ) which is often misnamed as the "water spider". However, according to a quick glance on Wikipedia, they are ...