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Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012) | Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, GBIF, BOLD | Technical Description, Adults: Forbes (1954) | Technical Description, Immature Stages: Forbes (1954), Wagner (2005); Wagner et al. (2011) | |
| Adult Markings: One of our largest Zales but slightly smaller than Zale lunata. Like lunata, it shows a range of coloration and patterning, most of which overlap those of lunata. The degree of waviness of the postmedian line on the forewing -- usually visible in a good photograph -- is the key character used by Forbes (1953) to distinguish these two species: in minerea (as well as galbanata and phaeocapna) the postmedian shows only a couple of broad waves from the end of the cell to the costa, with a large concave bend located at the end of the cell (roughly paralleling the concavity of the reniform spot). In lunata, the postmedian is much more undulating along this portion of the wing, showing a series of smaller bends but no major concavity at the end of the cell. Compared to galbanata and phaeocapna, which possess similar postmedian lines, minerea usually possess a strongly contrasting sub-apical blotch that is typically triangular or trapezoidal in shape. Like galbanata, but not phaeocapna, there is also usually a medial dash that runs from the subterminal line to the outer margin. |
| Wingspan: 35-45 mm (Forbes, 1954) |
| Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens. |
| Immatures and Development: Larvae are highly variable and easily confused with those of lunata, both of which feed on a wide variety of woody plants (Wagner et al., 2011). Differences in the shape of the frons and other characters may help distinguish between the species -- see Wagner et al. for details. |
| Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from close inspection of specimens or by DNA analysis. |