Naming of rights of a new moth species being auctioned on eBay

ALAMOGORDO, N.M., Oct. 19 (UPI) -- In an effort to earn some positive press for moths and some cash for the White Sands National Monument, entomologist Eric H. Metzler is auctioning up the naming rights to a new moth species on eBay.

The moth was found eight years ago by Metzler, but is only just now set to be described in the scientific literature. Metzler will work with the winner of the auction to Latinize the proposed name.

The bidding, which lasts through Oct. 23, currently stands at $6,000.

Typically, a scientific name is created by the researchers describing the new species. Often, the name honors the person who discovers the species.

Whatever the name, it won't become official until the scientific paper describing the new moth is peer-reviewed and published in a scientific journal.

This isn't Metzler's first moth discovery. He and his colleagues have identified and named 26 previously undiscovered moth species within New Mexico's White Sands National Monument. The park is comprised of the largest gypsum dune field in the world, 275 square miles of white sand dunes. Many of the animals there have adapted to the environs by taking on a lighter coloration.

Last year, scientists at Nova Southeastern University, in Florida, auctioned off the naming rights to a newly discovered sea lily species.