Gypsum-dunes
Guides
Euxesta abana
Euxesta abana is a species of picture-winged fly in the family Ulidiidae, described by Charles Howard Curran in 1935. It is known from a single documented location at White Sands National Park in the Tularosa Basin of New Mexico. The species belongs to a genus whose members are commonly known as picture-winged flies due to their patterned wings. Beyond its type locality and taxonomic placement, little is documented about its biology or ecology.
Givira
Givira n-sp is an undescribed species of carpenter moth in the family Cossidae, collected from the white gypsum dunes of White Sands National Monument, New Mexico. The moth exhibits a distinctive satiny-white wing appearance with few or no dark markings, distinguishing it from most of its North American relatives in the genus. It was discovered during a ten-year moth fauna study conducted by Eric H. Metzler beginning in 2007. The specimen presented challenges for study due to greasy abdomens filled with fatty tissue, requiring careful degreasing of scales for examination.
Protogygia biclavis
Protogygia biclavis is a noctuid moth described by Grote in 1879. It is strongly associated with gypsum dune habitats, particularly the White Sands National Monument in New Mexico, and has been recorded from additional arid regions in California, Utah, and Arizona. The species exhibits local adaptation to white gypsum sand environments.
Protogygia pectinata
Protogygia pectinata is a noctuid moth described by Lafontaine in 2004. It is known exclusively from White Sands National Park in Otero County, New Mexico, where it inhabits the distinctive gypsum dune ecosystem. The species name 'pectinata' refers to comb-like structures, likely describing a diagnostic morphological feature of the adult moth. Very few observations exist, reflecting either genuine rarity or limited survey effort in this restricted habitat.