Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFErebidae Members:
Zale Members:
165 NC Records

Zale aeruginosa (Guenée, 1852) - Green-dusted Zale

Taxonomy
Superfamily: Noctuoidea Family: ErebidaeSubfamily: ErebinaeTribe: OphiusiniP3 Number: 931029.00 MONA Number: 8694.00
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: Covell (1984)Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Forbes (1954)Technical Description, Immature Stages: Wagner (2005); Wagner et al. (2011)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: A dark umber to coal black Zale, often with some bands of brown or purple; almost always frosted with green or greenish white scales, which make it unmistakable.
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: Larvae are fairly distinctive, colored a pinkish to reddish brown and possessing a well-developed mid-dorsal stripe (see Wagner et al., 2011, for details).
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Probably occurs statewide, although we have no records from the Outer Banks and other barrier islands (despite the fact that Live Oak has been reported as one of its host plants).
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Flight Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

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