Psylliodes chrysocephala larvae
Psylliodes chrysocephala beetles (larvae shown here), are sometimes known by the common name cabbage-stem flea beetles in English. The homophones “flee” and “flea” caused confusion for a Swedish researcher, who “came to the sudden understanding that these beetles were not defined by their ‘fleeing’ from him as he walked through a field. As he had only ever heard the common name spoken, he did not connect the English description to their flea-like jumping behavior,” says Emily Bick, Ph.D., BCE, an American entomologist currently working in Denmark. (Photo courtesy of Emily Bick, Ph.D., BCE)