Zale undularis

Black Zale Moth
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Noctuidae
Genus: Zale
Species: Z. undularis
Binomial name
Zale undularis
(Drury, 1773)
Synonyms
  • Phalaena undularis Drury, 1773
  • Homoptera nigricans Bethune, 1865
  • Zale nigricans
  • Zale umbripennis Grote, 1876
  • Zale albosquamulata Strand, 1917

The Black Zale Moth (Zale undularis) is a moth of the Noctuidae (or in some classifications Erebidae) family. It is found in the eastern United States and southern Ontario.[1]

Description

Upper side: the antennae are brown and thread-like. The head, body, abdomen, and wings are of a very dark brown, bordering on black, and appear somewhat glossy. All the wings are a little dentated, and on the anterior ones, from the base to the extremity, is a series of black indented lines or bars, whereof the last or outer one is strong and conspicuous, crossing the wing from the anterior to the posterior edges, about a quarter of an inch from the external margin. The posterior wings are marked exactly like the superior.

The under side is of a lighter colour, with the same kind of markings, but fainter. The wingspan is about 2 inches.[2]

References

  1. "Zale undularis". Butterflies and Moths of North America. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
  2. Drury, Dru (1837). Westwood, John, ed. Illustrations of Exotic Entomology 1. p. 19.