A description and diagnosis are given for Heterothrips ephemerus sp. nov. collected from flowers of Krameria erecta Willdenow (Krameriaceae) shrubs in the Mojave Desert in southern Nevada, U.S.A. Flowers have an unusual, bilateral structure and contain elaiophores that secrete oils collected by specialist bees. Shrubs flowered for approximately 11 days following convective rainfall during summer. Adults occurred early during flowering with numbers of females exceeding males by approximately 12:1. Larvae were more abundant and reached the maximum number per flower, in flowers containing thrips, near the end of the flowering period. The near absence of other species of thrips suggests H. ephemerus is a specialized inhabitant of K. erecta flowers.

From 2000 to 2013, an inventory was conducted by introductory entomology classes from the College of Marin (COM) with the twin goals of describing this insect community and enhancing students' educational experiences. General collecting was the main method, supplemented by rearing of immature stages and by light, pitfall, and pan trapping. After specimens were processed and identified, literature review provided information on five key life history traits of the species: area of origin, range, habitat, feeding habit, and dietary specificity. Four-hundred ninety species or morphospecies were recorded from 12 orders and 133 families. Diptera was the order with the most species. For 449 species with information available, 45% were plant feeders, 21% were predators, and 17% were parasites. For 274 species with information on dietary breadth, 57% were generalists and 43% were specialists. One species and four distinctive populations of other species were endemic to the site. Thirty-nine species had distributions likely restricted to the sand dunes of the immediate Pacific Coastal slope. Groups of species shared with adjacent habitats were also important components of the community. Findings are compared with the information available from other sand dune faunas. The diversity and uniqueness of this community warrant continued conservation efforts, especially the removal of invasive plant species. Students received benefits beyond those expected from the standard introductory course. Recommendations are made for improvement of the description of this community and for the more efficient integration of inventory of local insect faunas into general entomology classes.