Moths of North Carolina

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

Taxonomy

Superfamily:
Noctuoidea

Family:
Erebidae

Subfamily:
Erebinae

Tribe:
Ophiusini

P3 Number:
931029

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 Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD

Technical 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) Click on graph to enlarge
Flight Comments: Adults appear to be present in from spring to fall over most areas of the state.

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: In the Coastal Plain, aeruginosa is common in both Pocosins and other peatland habitats, as well as Longleaf Pine Savannas and Flatwoods, all habitats where heaths are a major component of the vegetation but oaks are either rare or absent. In the Piedmont, it has been recorded again at sites where heaths are common (e.g., Black Ankle Bog and Hanging Rock State Park) but not at several intensively sampled mafic habitats where heaths are rare but oaks are not. Habitats used in the Mountains include both riparian and upland communities, in most of which both heaths and oaks are common.

Larval Host Plants: Franclemont (cited by Forbes, 1954) reported Zale aeruginosa as feeding on White Oak (Quercus alba) and Live Oak (Q. virginiana); these same two species were also reported as host plants by Kimball, 1965; Covell, 1984; and Wagner, 2005, perhaps based on Franclemont and Forbes. We have not, however, recorded this species in maritime forests on the barrier islands where Live Oak is dominant (we have, however, recorded it at a couple of mainland sites where small amounts of Live Oak are present). At many other sites where we have records for this species, no oaks are present at all, including many peatland and Longleaf Pine communities in the Coastal Plain, where Z. aeruginosa is common. Although it may feed on oaks to some extent (Wagner et al., 2011, were able to rear ex ovo larvae on oaks), we strongly suspect it feeds primarily on Blueberry (Vaccinium spp.), which were recorded as host plants by Quinter and Wagner et al. (2011), and possibly other species of heaths. There is a BugGuide record (George Smiley, 2019) of a larva reared from Sparkleberry (Vaccinium arboreum) in Texas. - View

Observation Methods: Appears to come well to blacklights, with up to 17 caught in a single trap (1-3 being much more frequent numbers). Like other Zales, it also comes well to bait.

Wikipedia

See also Habitat Account for General Wet-Dry Heath Thickets

Status in North Carolina

Natural Heritage Program Status:

Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 SNR [S5]

State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands

Comments: This species may be specialist on heath-containing habitats, including lowland and upland examples. Collectively, these habitats are widespread across the state, however, as is probably aeruginosa itself, making it relatively secure from most short-term, localized impacts.

Photo Gallery for Zale aeruginosa - Green-dusted Zale

58 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.

	Recorded by: Jeff Niznik, David George, Larry Chen, Sarah Toner, Joye Zhou on 2025-06-20 Richmond Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Allison Garton on 2025-04-24 Moore Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-04-06 Rowan Co. Comment:		Recorded by: K. Bischof on 2025-04-06 Transylvania Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jeff Niznik, David George on 2025-04-05 Chatham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper on 2025-03-28 Chatham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: R. Teper, D. George, J. Niznik on 2025-03-28 Chatham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Darryl Willis on 2024-09-20 Cabarrus Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Kevin Bischof on 2024-08-07 Transylvania Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-08-06 Transylvania Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-08-05 Transylvania Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George on 2024-07-15 Chatham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Emily Stanley on 2024-07-12 Buncombe Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-07-08 Chatham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Steve Hall, Patrick Coin, Mark Basinger on 2024-06-16 Chatham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-06-14 Scotland Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-06-10 Chatham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Larry Chen on 2024-06-10 Dare Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Rich Teper on 2024-05-13 Chatham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2024-04-29 Chatham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2024-04-16 Buncombe Co. Comment:		Recorded by: John Petranka on 2024-04-14 Orange Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Andrew W. Jones on 2024-04-10 Polk Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-04-08 Wilson Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-04-02 Wilson Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-04-02 Wilson Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-04-01 Chatham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-04-01 Chatham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-04-01 Chatham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2024-03-31 Madison Co. Comment: