Gynaephora

Gynaephora is a genus of "tussock moths", also known as the Lymantriinae, within the family Erebidae. 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.

==Taxonomy== The European species Gynaephora selenitica was the first described (as Phalaena selenitica). It was moved to Gynaephora by Jakob Hübner in 1819 and subsequently designated as type species by William Forsell Kirby in 1892. 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). thumb|A hairy caterpillar of Gynaephora selenitica on [[Medicago falcata (yellow alfalfa) near Valkse, northwestern Estonia.]]