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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Butterflies and Moths (Lepidoptera) » Owlet Moths and kin (Noctuoidea) » Erebidae » Erebinae » Omopterini » Zale » Lunate Zale - Hodges#8689 (Zale lunata)

Species Zale lunata - Lunate Zale - Hodges#8689

Classification · Hodges Number · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Size · Identification · Range · Habitat · Season · Food · See Also · Print References · Internet References · Works Cited

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

Zale minerea

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)

Internet References

Moth Photographers Group (13)

Pacific Northwest Moths (14)

The Dallas County Lepidopterists' Society

Candadian Biodiversity

Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD) (15)

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

Contributed by Cotinis on 10 June, 2004 - 5:30pm
Additional contributions by Jason D. Roberts, Maury Heiman, Robert Lord Zimlich, Randy Hardy, JoAnneRusso
Last updated 2 December, 2020 - 2:41pm

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