Dune
Guides
Euxoa aurulenta
Dune Cutworm Moth, dune cutworm
Euxoa aurulenta, the dune cutworm, is a noctuid moth species described by Smith in 1888. It is distributed across central and western North America, with adults active from May to July. The species has a single annual generation and is associated with dune grass habitats. The larvae are suspected to feed on beach grasses including Ammophila breviligulata and Calmovilfa longifolia.
Parathalassius
Parathalassius is a genus of long-legged flies in the family Dolichopodidae, subfamily Parathalassiinae. The genus name derives from Greek, meaning 'near the sea', reflecting its strict association with coastal habitats. The genus comprises 15 recognized species distributed across the Palaearctic and Nearctic realms, with nine species described from the Nearctic Region in a 2017 revision. Species are restricted to sandy marine coastlines, where they occupy beach and dune ecosystems.
Parathalassius uniformus
Parathalassius uniformus is a species of long-legged fly described from the Nearctic region in 2017. The species was established during a comprehensive revision of the genus Parathalassius, which included morphological phylogenetic analysis and COI mitochondrial DNA barcoding. It is one of twelve Nearctic species in the genus, nine of which were newly described in the same revision. The genus Parathalassius is associated with sandy coastal habitats.
Philopedon
broad-nosed weevils
Philopedon is a genus of broad-nosed weevils in the family Curculionidae, established by Schönherr in 1826. The genus contains approximately seven described species distributed primarily across Europe and North Africa. One species, Philopedon plagiatum, is commonly known as the marram weevil due to its association with marram grass (Ammophila arenaria). The genus belongs to the tribe Cneorhinini within the subfamily Entiminae.
Trogloderus skillmani
Trogloderus skillmani is a newly described species of psammophilic darkling beetle (Tenebrionidae: Amphidorini) from the eastern Great Basin and Mohave Desert regions of the western United States. Described in 2019 by Johnston as part of a comprehensive phylogenetic revision of the genus, it is one of six new species recognized in a genus previously considered monotypic. The species is restricted to dunes and sandy desert habitats. Molecular phylogenetic analysis dates the most recent common ancestor of Trogloderus to approximately 5.2 million years ago, with current species having diversified during the mid-Pleistocene driven by geographic features of the Intermountain Region.