Biston
/ˈbɪstən/noun
A genus of geometrid moths, including the peppered moth, Biston betularia.
Did you know?The genus was named after the Bistones, an ancient Thracian people associated in Greek mythology with the warlike king Biston; the peppered moth later became central to debates about natural selection.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
Βίστων (Bístōn)
“Biston, a legendary king of Thrace and the name associated with the Bistones”
Classical Antiquity
Greek
Βίστονες (Bístones)
“The Bistones, an ancient Thracian people”
Roman Antiquity
Latin
Bistones
“The Bistones, a Thracian tribe mentioned by Roman authors”
18th Century
Scientific Latin
Biston betularia
“The peppered moth, originally described under another moth genus by Linnaeus”
1815
Taxonomic Latin
Biston
“A moth genus established by William Elford Leach and named from the ancient Thracian ethnonym”
Modern English
English
Biston
“A genus of geometrid moths”