Re: USAGE: names for pillbug/wood louse/woodbug

On Thu, Mar 11, 2004 at 07:04:10PM +0000, Joe wrote:
> In England, a 'bug' is a section of the insect (family? order? phylum?
> I don't know.).
Insecta is a class - belonging to the phylum Arthropoda of Kingdom
Animalia.

> I'm not sure of the exact definition, but there is one,
> apparently - I do, however, know a bug when I see it.
Based on the entry in M-W, I'm guessing the subcategory for which you
Rightpondians reserve the term "bug" is the order Hemiptera, and
especially its suborder Heteroptera.  It consists of those "insects that
have sucking mouthparts, forewings thickened at the base, and incomplete
metamorphosis and are often economic pests - also called /true bug/".

http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?hdwd=bug&jump=bug[2,noun]&list=bug[2,noun]=133713

-Mark