Gynaephora

Gynaephora
Gynaephora selenitica
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Family: Erebidae
Tribe: Orgyiini
Genus: Gynaephora
Hübner, 1819

Gynaephora is a genus of tussock moths in the Erebidae family. They are mainly found in the Arctic and Subarctic region and are best known for their unusually long larval development period. The lifecycle of G. groenlandica was once believed to take 14 years, but subsequent studies reduced it to 7, a slow development rate that is extremely rare in the Lepidoptera. The caterpillars have five instars, with each instar lasting a year.[1]

Species

References

  1. Morewood, W. Dean & Richard A. Ring (1998). "Revision of the life history of the High Arctic moth Gynaephora groenlandica (Wocke) (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae)". Can. J. Zool. 76 (7): 1371–1381. doi:10.1139/cjz-76-7-1371.
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