Gynaephora groenlandica

Arctic woolly bear moth
Arctic woolly bear caterpillar, Greenland
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Family: Erebidae
Genus: Gynaephora
Species:
G. groenlandica
Binomial name
Gynaephora groenlandica
(Wocke ex. Homeyer, 1874)
Synonyms[3]
  • Dasychira groenlandica Wocke ex. Homeyer, 1874[1]
  • Dicallomera kusnezovi Lukhtanov et Khruliova, 1989[2]

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.[2][4] 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.[5] This species remains in a larval state for the vast majority of its life.[4][6] 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.[7][8] In this dormant state, it can withstand temperatures as low as −70 °C.[7] The Arctic woolly bear moth also exhibits basking behavior, which aids in temperature regulation and digestion and affects both metabolism and oxygen consumption.[4][6] Females generally do not fly, while males usually do.[7]

This species has an alpine subspecies which is notable for its geographic distribution south of the High Arctic.[9]

  1. ^ von Homeyer, Alexander (1874). "Lepidopteren". Wissenschaftliche Ergebnisse. Die zweite Deutsche Nordpolarfahrt (in German). Vol. 2. Leipzig: F. A. Brockhaus. pp. 409–410.
  2. ^ a b 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.
  3. ^ Savela, Markku (2 June 2019). "Gynaephora". Lepidoptera and some other life forms. Markku Savela. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  4. ^ a b c Kukal, Olga; Dawson, Todd E. (1989-06-01). "Temperature and food quality influences feeding behavior, assimilation efficiency and growth rate of arctic woolly-bear caterpillars". Oecologia. 79 (4): 526–532. Bibcode:1989Oecol..79..526K. doi:10.1007/BF00378671. PMID 28313488. S2CID 22994401.
  5. ^ Morewood, W. Dean; Ring, Richard A. (1998-07-01). "Revision of the life history of the High Arctic moth Gynaephora groenlandica (Wocke) (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae)". Canadian Journal of Zoology. 76 (7): 1371–1381. doi:10.1139/z98-085. ISSN 0008-4301.
  6. ^ a b Kukal, Olga (March 24, 1988). "Behavioral Thermoregulation in the Freeze-Tolerant Arctic Caterpillar, Gynaephora groenlandica" (PDF). The Company of Biologists Limited.
  7. ^ a b c Makarova, O. L.; Sviridov, A. V.; Klepikov, M. A. (2013-04-01). "Lepidoptera (Insecta) of polar deserts". Entomological Review. 93 (2): 225–239. doi:10.1134/S0013873813020115. S2CID 18862534.
  8. ^ Bennett VA, Lee RE Jr, Nauman JS, Kukal O. Selection of overwintering microhabitats used by the arctic woollybear caterpillar, Gynaephora groenlandica. Cryo Letters. 2003 May-Jun;24(3):191-200.
  9. ^ Barrio, Isabel C.; Schmidt, B. Christian; Cannings, Sydney; Hik, David S (December 2013). "First Records of the Arctic Moth Gynaephora groenlandica (Wocke) South of the Arctic". Arctic. 66 (4): 429–434. doi:10.14430/arctic4329. hdl:10261/142753.