What do you call a grey-green moth that weighs less than on ounce, measures approximately an inch in length, and frequents the White Sands National Park in New Mexico? That was the question which entomologist, Eric Metzler, asked the general public this past October.
In a novel attempt to raise funds for the Western National Parks Association (WNPA), Metzler generously auctioned off the right to name his newly discovered species to the highest eBay bidder and donated the proceeds to the WNPA. According to eBay, the auction ended on the 23rd of October with the winning bid reaching an astounding $12,600.
We don’t know the name yet. It can take as long as year for the Latinized name to be officially registered by the Commission of Zoological Nomenclature. Stay tuned.
For more information, see this article and this article.