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Species Zale lunata - Lunate Zale - Hodges#8689

Lunate Zale Moth - Hodges #8689 - Zale lunata Zale lunata Large brown moth with an odd pattern - Zale lunata Zale lunata - Hodge's #8689 - Zale lunata Zale lunata - Lunate Zale? - Zale lunata Moth: Zale#1 - Zale lunata Unsure - Zale lunata Unknown Zale moth - Zale lunata
Show images of: caterpillars · adults · both
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
Superfamily Noctuoidea (Owlet Moths and kin)
Family Erebidae
Subfamily Erebinae
Tribe Omopterini
Genus Zale
Species lunata (Lunate Zale - Hodges#8689)
Hodges Number
8689
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Zale lunata (Drury, 1773)
Phalaena lunata Drury, 1773
Phaeocyma lunata
Phalaena edusa Drury, 1773
Erebus putrescens Guerin-Meneville, 1832
Homoptera marginalis Walker, 1865
Homoptera saundersii Bethune, 1865
Homoptera salicis Behr, 1870
Homoptera rosae Behr, 1870
Phylogenetic sequence # 931023
Explanation of Names
lunata is derived from Latin meaning Moon, probably referenceing the crescent-shaped marks on the wings
Numbers
Lafontaine & Schmidt (2010) listed 39 species of the genus Zale species in America north of Mexico. (1)
Size
Forewing length 2-2.4 cm. (2)
Larvae to 35 mm. (3)
Identification
Adults - quite variable with both fore- and hindwings dark brown with shades of yellow, red brown and black, sometimes with white or silver marginal patches. (2)
Range
Texas to Wisconsin east to New England and south to Florida. In the west found from Washington to southern California and east to the Colorado and the Front Range and New Mexico(2)
Habitat
yards, parks, thickets, woodlands, and forests(4)
Season
March-November
Food
Crumb (1956) listed blackberry, raspberry, salmonberry, rose, willow, and oak. (3)
Wagner (2011) adds sensitive plant, cherry, chokeberry, plums, hawthorn, wisteria and occasionally forbes. (4).
See Also
Print References
Covell Jr., C. V. 1984. Field Guide to Moths of Eastern North America. p.165, plate 37 #8, 10 (5)
Eaton, E. & K. Kaufman 2006. Kaufman Field Guide to Insects of North America. p.255 (6)
Evans, A.V. 2007. National Wildlife Federation Field Guide to Insects and Spiders & Related Species of North America. p.343 (7)
Himmelman, J. 2002. Discovering Moths: Nighttime Jewels in Your Own Backyard. plate B-3 (8)
Holland, W.J. 1922. The Moth Book. plate XXXVII, fig. 15 (9)
Miller, J.C. & P.C. Hammond 2003. Lepidoptera of the Pacific Northwest: caterpillars and adults. FHTET-03-11: 1-323. (10)
Powell, J.A. & P.A. Opler, 2009. Moths of Western North America, pl. 44.27, 44.28m; p. 260. (2)
Smith, J.B. 1908. A revision of some species of Noctuidae heretofore referred to the genus Homoptera Boisduval. p. 225. (11)
Wagner, D.L. 2005. Caterpillars of eastern North America. p.47 (12)
Works Cited
1.Annotated check list of the Noctuoidea (Insecta, Lepidoptera) of North America north of Mexico.
Donald J. Lafontaine, B. Christian Schmidt. 2010. ZooKeys 40: 1–239 .
2.Moths of Western North America
Powell and Opler. 2009. UC Press.
3.The Larvae of the Phalaenidae [Noctuidae]
Samuel Ebb Crumb. 1956. U.S. Department of Agriculture Technical Bulletin 1135: 1-356.
4.Owlet Caterpillars of Eastern North America
David L. Wagner. 2011. Princeton University Press.
5.Field Guide to Moths of Eastern North America
Charles V. Covell, Jr. 2005.
6.Kaufman Field Guide to Insects of North America
Eric Eaton, Kenn Kaufman. 2006. Houghton Mifflin.
7.National Wildlife Federation Field Guide to Insects and Spiders & Related Species of North America
Arthur V. Evans. 2007. Sterling.
8.Discovering Moths: Nighttime Jewels in Your Own Backyard
John Himmelman. 2002. Down East Books.
9.The Moth Book
W. J. Holland. 1922. Doubleday, Page & Company.
10.Lepidoptera of the Pacific Northwest: Caterpillars and Adults
Miller & Hammond. 2003. USDA.
11.A revision of some species of Noctuidae heretofore referred to the genus Homoptera (Boisduval)
John B. Smith. 1908. Proceedings of the United States National Museum 35: 209-275.
12.Caterpillars of Eastern Forests
David L. Wagner, Valerie Giles, Richard C. Reardon, Michael L. McManus. 1998. U.S. Dept of Agriculture, Forest Health Technology Enterprise Team.
13.North American Moth Photographers Group
14.Pacific Northwest Moths
15.BOLD: The Barcode of Life Data Systems