Abstract
The white gypsum dune ecosystem in the Tularosa Basin in south central New Mexico is the largest gypsum dune field on earth, covering 712.25 km2. White Sands National Monument in Otero County, New Mexico, protects approximately 40%, 297.85 km2, of this dune field. In 2006 the US National Park Service initiated a long term study of the Lepidoptera at White Sands National Monument, resulting in the discovery of two new species, Euxoa lafontainei Metzler & Forbes, n. sp. and Protogygia whitesandsensis Metzler & Forbes, n. sp. described herein. Adult moths and male and female genitalia are illustrated for Euxoa lafontainei, and adults and male genitalia are illustrated for Protogygia whitesandsensis and its relatives.
Highlights
The North American species of the genus Euxoa Hübner, [1821] were revised by Lafontaine (1987), and the North American genus Protogygia McDunnough, [1929] was revised by Lafontaine and Fauske (2004)
The dearth of specimens of these two species, prior to this study, can probably be attributed to their occurrence in the gypsum dune ecosystem, which is under the jurisdiction of the US Department of Defense and the National Park Service
All non-lepidopterous insects from traps were placed in ethyl alcohol and deposited in New Mexico State University Arthropod Collection, Las Cruces, New Mexico (NMSU)
Summary
The North American species of the genus Euxoa Hübner, [1821] were revised by Lafontaine (1987), and the North American genus Protogygia McDunnough, [1929] was revised by Lafontaine and Fauske (2004). In 2007 and 2008 adults of E. lafontainei Metzler & G.S. Forbes, sp. N., and in 2007, 2008, and 2009, adults of P. whitesandsensis Metzler & G.S. Forbes, sp. N., were collected in the dune field at White Sands National Monument, Otero County, New Mexico. No specimens of either of these two species were known prior to the beginning of this study of insects at the Monument. The dearth of specimens of these two species, prior to this study, can probably be attributed to their occurrence in the gypsum dune ecosystem, which is under the jurisdiction of the US Department of Defense and the National Park Service
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