Gynaephora

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Gynaephora
Gynaephora selenitica MHNT.CUT.2012.0.356 mont Rachais Male dos.jpg
Gynaephora selenitica
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Family: Erebidae
Tribe: Orgyiini
Genus: Gynaephora
Hübner, 1819
Synonyms [1] [2] [3]

Gynaephora is a genus of "tussock moths", also known as the Lymantriinae, within the family Erebidae. [1] [4] They are mainly found in the Holarctic in alpine, Arctic and Subarctic regions, and are best known for their unusually long larval development period. The life-cycle of Gynaephora groenlandica was once believed to take fourteen years, but subsequent studies reduced it to seven, still a very slow development rate that is extremely rare in the Lepidoptera. The caterpillars have five instars, with each instar lasting a year. [5]

Contents

Taxonomy

The European species Gynaephora selenitica was the first described (as Phalaena selenitica). It was moved to Gynaephora by Jakob Hübner in 1819 [2] and subsequently designated as type species by William Forsell Kirby in 1892. [6] [7] In Kirby's time there were three species recognised in the genus: G. selenitica, G. pluto (now Xylophanes pluto ) and G. xerampelina (now Aroa xerampelina ). [7]

A hairy caterpillar of Gynaephora selenitica on Medicago falcata (yellow alfalfa) near Valkse, northwestern Estonia. Gynaephora selenitica - kuu-villkapa roovik sirplutsernil.jpg
A hairy caterpillar of Gynaephora selenitica on Medicago falcata (yellow alfalfa) near Valkse, northwestern Estonia.

Laria rossii had been described by Curtis from the Canadian archipelago in 1835, [8] but in 1870 Heinrich Benno Möschler moved it to the genus Dasychira . [9] In 1874 a second Arctic Dasychira species was described by Maximilian Ferdinand Wocke from northern Greenland: D. groenlandica. [10] In 1927 William Schaus moved both to the genus Byrdia. [11]

Dasychira pumila was described by Otto Staudinger in 1881. He also commented that he found this new taxon distinctive enough to be classified in a new genus, which he provisionally suggested naming Dasyorgyia. William Forsell Kirby validated this name in 1882, classifying a number of species as Dasyorgyia, [3] and in 1901 Staudinger published the species under the name Dasyorgyia pumila along with four other species: D. alpherakii, D. grumi, D. selenophora and D. semenovi. [3] [12] Embrik Strand in 1910 [3] or 1912, [13] [14] and Felix Bryk in 1934 followed Staudinger, but in 1950 Igor Vasilii Kozhanchikov moved D. pumila to Gynaephora, and also named a new species G. sincera. In 1978 these and two other species, G. alpherakii and G. selenophora, were classified by Douglas C. Ferguson in a subgenus using Otto Staudinger's 1881 alternative name Dasyorgyia with as type species G. pumila. [3]

Chou Io and Ying Chiang-Chu described four new species from China in 1979: G. aureata, G. minora, G. qinghaiensis and G. ruoergensis, with their paper written in Chinese. [14]

In 1984 Karel Spitzer reviewed the genus, recording three species in the genus sensu stricto (the nominate subgenus Gynaephora): G. groenlandica, G. rossii and G. selenitica. In subgenus Dasyorgyia he classified seven species: G. alpherakii, G. aureata, G. minora, G. pumila, G. qinghaiensis, G. selenophora and G. sincera, having synonymised G. ruoergensis with G. selenophora [14] (now Lachana selenophora ).

In 2008 Tatyana A. Trofimova moved Gynaephora pumila to Dicallomera , and as this was the type species for the subgenus Dasyorgyia, she was obliged to look into the other species of the subgenus. She moved G. alpherakii, G. selenophora and G. sincera to the genus Lachana , but refrained from making a decision regarding the newer Chinese taxa. [3]

Etymology

According to one website, the generic epithet Gynaephora means 'women-seeker', which refers to the behaviour of the males. Females rarely or do not fly, but are said to "call out" to the males. Males fly rapidly searching for the females. [15] However, the word gynaephora in fact means 'women-bringer' or 'bringer-of-woman'; it is compounded from the Greek γυνή (guní), meaning "woman", [16] and φορά (phorá), usually meaning "bringer" (along with some other related meanings). [17]

It has been placed in the tribe Orgyiini, which is in the subfamily Lymantriinae (the tussock moths). [1] [15]

Description

Of the species in this genus sensu stricto , the males have a thin aedeagus. The females of species of this genus, sensu stricto, of all the species in which they have been seen, lack wings and are flightless. The caterpillars of the species in this genus sensu stricto are large and very hairy. [14]

Species

A woolly caterpillar of Gynaephora groenlandica on Baffin Island. Gynaephora groenlandica.jpg
A woolly caterpillar of Gynaephora groenlandica on Baffin Island.

Sometimes the alpine populations of Asia of Gynaephora rossii are recognised as an independent species: G. relictus(O.Bang-Haas, 1927). [2] [18] G. lugens from the far north of eastern Russia was recognised as an independent species until 2015, when it was made into a subspecies of G. rossii. [19]

There is furthermore a group of species from the Tibet-Qinghai Plateau belonging to the former subgenus Dasyorgyia. [14] [19] [20]

In 1984 Spitzer synonymised G. ruoergensis with Lachana selenophora . He found Gynaephora qinghaiensis to be a probable synonym of Lachana alpherakii , although he was unable to be certain of this. Both Lachana species were classified as Gynaephora species at this point. [14] In 2008 Trofimova published her opinion that G. aureata, G. minora, G. qinghaiensis and G. ruoergensis, all described from China by Chou and Ying in 1979, are possibly synonyms of Lachana alpherakii , although not having been able to study the type specimens, she was unable to confirm her suspicions. [3] A study of DNA markers of the species of the genus Gynaephora, which was published in 2015, found them allied closer to the outgroup Lachana alpherakii, and likely should be moved to Lachana. [19]

Ecology

These are all alpine or Arctic species. [14]

Related Research Articles

<i>Elaeagnus angustifolia</i> Species of flowering plant

Elaeagnus angustifolia, commonly called Russian olive, silver berry, oleaster, or wild olive, is a species of Elaeagnus, native to western and central Asia, Iran, from southern Russia and Kazakhstan to Turkey, parts of Pakistan and parts of India. As of 2020, it is widely established in North America as an introduced species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lymantriinae</span> Subfamily of moths

The Lymantriinae are a subfamily of moths of the family Erebidae. The taxon was erected by George Hampson in 1893.

<i>Xestia</i> Genus of noctuid moths

Xestia is a genus of noctuid moths. They are the type genus of the tribe Xestiini in subfamily Noctuinae, though some authors merge this tribe with the Noctuini. Species in this genus are commonly known as "clays", "darts" or "rustics", but such names are commonplace among Noctuidae. Xestia moths have a wide distribution, though they most prominently occur in the Holarctic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Batrachedridae</span> Family of moths

The Batrachedridae are a small family of tiny moths. These are small, slender moths which rest with their wings wrapped tightly around their bodies.

Rhiza is a genus of moths of the family Noctuidae. The genus was described by Staudinger in 1889.

Lachana is a genus of moths in the subfamily Lymantriinae. The genus was described by Frederic Moore in 1888. It contains species native to alpine areas on high mountains in the south of the Central Asia. The females do not have wings and lay their eggs within their own old cocoons.

<i>Gynaephora groenlandica</i> Species of moth

Gynaephora groenlandica, the Arctic woolly bear moth, is an erebid moth native to the High Arctic in the Canadian archipelago, Greenland and Wrangel Island in Russia. It is known for its slow rate of development, as its full caterpillar life cycle may extend up to 7 years, with moulting occurring each spring. This species remains in a larval state for the vast majority of its life. Rare among Lepidoptera, it undergoes an annual period of diapause that lasts for much of the calendar year, as G. groenlandica is subject to some of the longest, most extreme winters on Earth. In this dormant state, it can withstand temperatures as low as −70 °C. The Arctic woolly bear moth also exhibits basking behavior, which aids in temperature regulation and digestion and affects both metabolism and oxygen consumption. Females generally do not fly, while males usually do.

<i>Kessleria</i> Genus of moths

Kessleria is a genus of moths of the family Yponomeutidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erebidae</span> Family of moths

The Erebidae are a family of moths in the superfamily Noctuoidea. The family is among the largest families of moths by species count and contains a wide variety of well-known macromoth groups. The family includes the underwings (Catocala); litter moths (Herminiinae); tiger, lichen, and wasp moths (Arctiinae); tussock moths (Lymantriinae), including the arctic woolly bear moth ; piercing moths ; micronoctuoid moths (Micronoctuini); snout moths (Hypeninae); and zales, though many of these common names can also refer to moths outside the Erebidae. Some of the erebid moths are called owlets.

Lachana alpherakii is a species of moth of the subfamily Lymantriinae first described by Grigory Grum-Grshimailo in 1891. It is found in the high mountains of Tibet and China.

Lachana ladakensis is a species of moth of the subfamily Lymantriinae. It is found in the mountains of Ladakh, in Kashmir in northwestern India.

Lachana selenophora is a species of moth of the subfamily Lymantriinae. It is found in alpine habitats on the high mountains in Central Asia.

Lachana sincera is a species of moth of the subfamily Lymantriinae. A single example was found in 1909 at high elevations in the Wakhan range of the Pamir Mountains of Tajikistan and is only known to have seen again since in 1961. This was also in the area, making it provisionally endemic to southern Gorno-Badakhshan.

Lachana kulu is a species of moth of the subfamily Lymantriinae from northern India seen once in 1913.

<i>Dicallomera</i> Genus of moths

Dicallomera is a genus of tussock moths in the family Erebidae.

Dicallomera pumila is a little seen species of moth of the family Erebidae found in mountains in Kazakhstan and in the southern Urals.

<i>Epermenia</i> Genus of moths

Epermenia is a genus of moths in the family Epermeniidae. The genus was first described by Jacob Hübner in 1825.

Gynaephora rossii, in English known as Ross' tussock moth, is a species of tussock moth in the family Erebidae. It is widespread in the tundras and highlands of the Holarctic. It has large, furry caterpillars which seem to eat mostly saxifrages.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Gynaephora Genus Information". BugGuide.net. Retrieved 2018-03-29.
  2. 1 2 3 Savela, Markku (2 June 2019). "Gynaephora". Lepidoptera and some other life forms. Markku Savela. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Trofimova, Tatyana A. (January 2008). "Systematic notes on Dasorgyia Staudinger, 1881, Dicallomera Butler, 1881, and Lachana Moore, 1888 (Lymantriidae)" (PDF). Nota Lepidopterologica. 31 (2): 273–291. ISSN   0342-7536. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 April 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  4. ↑ Beccaloni, G.; Scoble, M.; Kitching, I.; Simonsen, T.; Robinson, G.; Pitkin, B.; Hine, A.; Lyal, C., eds. (2003). "Gynaephora​". The Global Lepidoptera Names Index . Natural History Museum. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  5. ↑ 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.
  6. ↑ "GYNAEPHORA". Butterflies and Moths of the World. Natural History Museum . Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  7. 1 2 Kirby, William Forsell (1892). A synonymic catalogue of Lepidoptera Heterocera. (Moths) : Vol. 1. Sphinges and bombyces. London: Gurney & Jackson. p. 473. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.9152.
  8. ↑ Curtis, John (1835). "Insects". In Ross, John (ed.). Narrative of a Second Voyage in Search of a North-west Passage, and of a Residence in the Arctic Regions during the Years 1829, 1830, 1831, 1832, 1833 - Appendix. Vol. 2. London: A.W. Webster. p. lxx, lxxi. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.11196.
  9. ↑ Möschler, Heinrich Benno (1870). "Beiträge zur Schmetterlingsfauna von Labrador". Entomologische Zeitung Stettin (in German). 31: 252. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
  10. ↑ von Homeyer, Alexander (1874). "Lepidopteren". Wissenschaftliche Ergebnisse. Die zweite Deutsche Nordpolarfahrt (in German). Vol. 2. Leipzig: F. A. Brockhaus. pp. 409–410.
  11. ↑ Inoue, Hiroshi (1956). "A revision of the Japanese Lymantriidae". Japanese Journal of Medical Science and Biology. 9 (4–5): 142–143. doi: 10.7883/yoken1952.9.133 . ISSN   1884-2828. PMID   13415758 . Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  12. ↑ Staudinger, Otto; Rebel, Hans (May 1901). Catalog der Lepidopteren des palaearctischen Faunengebietes (in German). Berlin: R. Friedländer & Sohn. pp. 114, 115. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.120482.
  13. ↑ Strand, Embrik (1912). "Familie Lymantriidae". In Seitz, Friedrich Joseph Adalbert (ed.). Die Großschmetterlinge des palaearktischen Faunengebietes, Die palaearktischen Spinner und Schwärmer (in German). Vol. 2. Stuttgart: A. Kernen. pp. 109–141.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Spitzer, Karel (30 June 1984). "Notes on taxonomy and distribution of the genus Gynaephora Hübner, 1819 (Lymantriidae)" (PDF). Nota Lepidopterologica. 7 (2): 180–183. ISSN   0342-7536 . Retrieved 28 November 2019.
  15. 1 2 "Gynaephora rossi". Pacific Northwest Moths. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  16. ↑ Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert (1940). "γυνή". A Greek–English Lexicon. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
  17. ↑ Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert (1940). "φορά". A Greek–English Lexicon. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
  18. ↑ Bang-Haas, Otto (1927). Horae Macrolepidopterologicae Regionis Palaearcticae 1 (in Latin). Dresden-Blasewitz: O. Staudinger & A. Bang-Haas.
  19. 1 2 3 Lukhtanov, Vladimir A.; Khruleva, Olga (2015). "Taxonomic Position and Status of Arctic Gynaephora and Dicallomera Moths (Lepidoptera, Erebidae, Lymantriinae)" (PDF). Folia Biologica (Kraków). 63 (4): 257–261. doi:10.3409/fb63_4.257. ISSN   1734-9168. PMID   26975140. S2CID   4837579. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-02-27. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  20. ↑ Yan, L.; Wang, G.; Liu, C. Z. (1 November 2006). "Number of Instars and Stadium Duration of Gynaephora menyuanensis (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae) from Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau in China". Annals of the Entomological Society of America. 99 (6): 1012–1018. doi: 10.1603/0013-8746(2006)99[1012:NOIASD]2.0.CO;2 . Retrieved 22 November 2019.
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