First Records, Representing Major Range Extensions, of Three Species of Lepidoptera (Erebidae, Noctuidae, and Lasiocampidae) from New Mexico

Abstract

Abstract. Little was known about the Lepidoptera fauna at White Sands National Monument or Carlsbad Caverns National Park, both in the Chihuahuan Desert of southern New Mexico, before 2006 when the National Park Service initiated studies of the Lepidoptera, especially moths. Many species of moths were captured in black-light traps. Cisthene perrosea (Dyar) (Erebidae), Schinia intrebilis (Smith) (Noctuidae), and Tolype meyelisae Franclemont (Lasiocampidae), recorded from New Mexico for the first time, represent significant range extensions.