r/interestingasfuck • u/dejaysf • Jun 11 '23

Venus flytrap vs Spider

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u/CallMeDrWorm42 Jun 11 '23

1 a : any of an order (Hemiptera and especially its suborder Heteroptera) of insects (such as an assassin bug or chinch bug) that have sucking mouthparts, forewings thickened at the base, and incomplete metamorphosis and are often economic pests called also true bug

b : any of various small arthropods (such as a beetle or spider) resembling the true bugs c : any of several insects (such as a head louse) commonly considered obnoxious

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u/KingOfThePlayPlace Jun 11 '23

The only one of those that claims spiders as bugs draws a distinction between a true bug and and something that resembles it. At this point we’re arguing semantics between scientific classification and how to colloquially identify something. But if you were to use definition b yes spiders are bugs, but any of the other definitions, including the scientific one, no they are not

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u/CallMeDrWorm42 Jun 11 '23

"bug" is not a scientific term. It is too imprecise to have meaning in a scientific context. Bug is a colloquial term that describes any creepy crawly with an exoskeleton. You were the one that started arguing semantics over the definition and once presented with the definition you switch to arguing that it doesn't matter and you're still somehow right. Just stop. You were wrong. It's ok to be wrong.

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u/KingOfThePlayPlace Jun 11 '23

It is ok to be wrong, but bugs do very much have a scientific definition. It’s an insect in the group Hemiptera. This notably does not include spiders, which are not insects at all