First records of the Arctic moth Gynaephora groenlandica (Wocke) south of the Arctic Circle: a new Alpine subspecies

• Published in: ARCTIC
• Main Authors: Barrio, Isabel C., Schmidt, B. Christian, Cannings, Sydney, Hik, David S.
• Other Authors: Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, European Commission, Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Arctic Institute of North America 2013
• Subjects: Glacial refugia; Kluane; Lepidoptera; Lymantriinae; Ogilvie; Range extension; Relict populations; Refuge glaciaire; Étendue du parcours; Populations reliques; Arctic; Barres; Yukon; Arctique*
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10261/142753; https://doi.org/10.14430/arctic4329; https://doi.org/10.13039/501100000038; https://doi.org/10.13039/501100000780; https://doi.org/10.13039/501100011698

[EN]: Two adjacent populations of the Arctic moth Gynaephora groenlandica, a High Arctic endemic species, were found in southwest Yukon, ca. 900 km south of the species’ described distribution. Species identification was based on larval morphology for one population and on larvae rearing and DNA barcoding for the other. All three approaches clearly separated G. groenlandica from the closely related and frequently sympatric G. rossii. These records represent the first reports ofG. groenlandica in alpine environments, and we recognize these populations as a distinct subspecies, G. g. beringiana, on the basis of differences in habitat, geography, wing phenotype, and DNA barcode. Given the limited dispersal ability ofG. groenlandica, these records may represent isolated relict populations. Disjunct populations and new records of other species recently described for the southwest Yukon suggest 1) that this region is understudied and a potential refugium for species characteristic of different biogeographic influences and 2) that this region may be changing considerably in response to recent rapid environmental change, which has influenced species distribution, abundance, and phenology. Our findings, however, might result from a relatively poor description of the arthropod fauna of remote locations; these discoveries should therefore instigate further survey efforts. [FR]: Deux populations adjacentes du papillon de nuit de l’Arctique Gynaephora groenlandica, espèce endémique de l’Extrême-Arctique, ont été trouvées dans le sud-ouest du Yukon, à environ 900 km au sud de la répartition décrite pour cette espèce. L’espèce a été identifiée à l’aide de la morphologie de la larve d’une population, et à l’aide de la croissance de la larve et de la codification à barres génétique de l’autre population. Les trois méthodes ont permis de distinguer clairement G. groenlandica de G. rossii, espèce étroitement liée et souvent sympatrique. Il s’agit des premières observations de G. groenlandica en milieu alpin, et nous ...