Moths of North Carolina
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Common Name:
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View PDFErebidae Members: Zale Members: 1 NC Records

Zale fictilis (Guenée, 1852) - No Common Name

Zale fictilis
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Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea		 Family:
Erebidae		Subfamily:
Erebinae		Tribe:
Ophiusini		P3 Number:
931021		 MONA Number:
8687.00
Comments: One of 39 species in this genus that occur north of Mexico, 23 of which have been recorded in North Carolina
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Not in either field guideOnline Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Smith (1908)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: A grayish brown Zale. Males tend to be grayish, with few contrasting areas, and are unlikely to be confused other species of our Zales. Females, however, are browner and more similar to the brown forms of lunata. The most diagnostic mark (Smith, 1908) appears to be the postmedian, which is a fine, single, dentate line in fictilis but is doubled and less sharply cusped in lunata, particularly between the cell and the inner margin. The reniform is also outlined by yellowish scales in fictilis but not outlined at all in lunata (Smith, 1908).
Structural photos
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: Larvae are not described in Wagner (2005) or in Wagner et al. (2011).
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: This is a primarily Central American species whose northernmost limit appears to be represented by a single specimen collected during the Asian Gypsy Moth Non-target Impacts Study (Hall et al., 1999b).
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Zale fictilis
Flight Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

Click on graph to enlarge
Flight Comments: Recorded in October but too little is known about this species in North Carolina to determine its flight distribution.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: The sole North Carolina record is from a Coastal Plain Small Stream Swamp
Larval Host Plants: Larvae have been reported on Citrus in the Caribbean (Robinson et al., 2010). While one member of the Rutaceae - Hercules' Club (Zanthoxylum clava-hercules) - is native to maritime forests and shell middens along the North Carolina coast, it is unlikely to occur at the inland swamp forest where our one specimen of Z. fictilis was collected. - View
Observation Methods: Collected using 15 watt blacklight trap; like other Zale species, probably comes better to bait than to light.
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status: W-PK
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 SU
State Protection: Not given any legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments: Too little is known about the residency status (it may be just a rare migrant or stray), distribution, or habitat associations to determine the conservation status of this species in North Carolina. Currently, it seems best to place it on the NHP Watchlist until more can be learned.

 Photo Gallery for Zale fictilis - None

Photos: 1

Recorded by: JBS on 1995-10-23
Brunswick Co.
Comment: Very worn specimen; can't rule out the possibility that it was a migrant