Kingdom Animalia Subphylum Hexapoda Order Lepidoptera Rank Species | Phylum Arthropoda Class Insecta Family Noctuidae | |
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Similar Zale, Parallelia bistriaris, Zale lunata, Euclidia cuspidea, Zale lunifera | ||
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.
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.