Psammophile
Guides
Plagiostira gillettei
Gillette's shieldback
Plagiostira gillettei is a shield-backed katydid in the family Tettigoniidae, first described by Caudell in 1907. The species occurs in arid and semi-arid regions of western North America, with records from California, Colorado, Nevada, and Utah. One subspecies, P. g. utahensis, is endemic to the Coral Pink Sand Dunes in Kane County, Utah. The common name honors an individual named Gillette, likely the collector or an entomological colleague.
Polyphylla avittata
spotted Warner valley dunes June beetle, spotted Warner valley dunes scarab beetle
Polyphylla avittata is a species of scarab beetle in the subfamily Melolonthinae, commonly known as the spotted Warner valley dunes June beetle. The species is endemic to sand dune habitats in the Warner Valley of Utah. Like other members of the genus Polyphylla, it exhibits sexual dimorphism in antennal structure, with males possessing enlarged, lamellate antennae used to detect female sex pheromones. The species is rarely encountered and poorly documented in scientific literature.