Moths of North Carolina
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Zale Members:
47 NC Records

Zale buchholzi McDunnough, 1943 - Buchholz's Zale

Zale buchholziZale buchholziZale buchholzi
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea		 Family:
Erebidae		Subfamily:
Erebinae		Tribe:
Ophiusini		P3 Number:
931041		 MONA Number:
8706.00
Comments: One of 39 species in this genus that occur north of Mexico, 23 of which have been recorded in North Carolina. An almost identical undescribed species has also been found in North Carolina; the two are distinguished primarily by genitalic features and different flight dates.
Species Status: Belongs to a group of pine-feeding Zales, all of which possess a sharp, outward-pointing tooth on the antemedian line where the radial vein crosses.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: (Not included in either field guide but good photos of adults are provided by Wagner et al., 2011)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: McDunnough (1943); Forbes (1954)Technical Description, Immature Stages: Wagner et al. (2011)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: Buchholzi (and the undescribed species) is the most plainly marked species in the group, with a dull brown ground color covering the entire wing with none of the contrasting light and dark zones shown by the other species. The median line is typically obscure and both the antemedian and postmedian are also usually inconspicuous. The reniform is narrow and dark and has the usual yellowish patch located just beyond it, but neither are as contrasting as in the other members of this group. While a good photograph can be used to distiguish buchholzi from all of the named pine-feeding Zales, dissection is the only definitive way to tell it apart from the undescribed species, although flight dates usually offer a good clue.
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from photos showing hindwings, abdomen, or other specialized views [e.g., frons, palps, antennae, undersides].
Immatures and Development: Larvae are distinctively marked with green, reddish-brown, and white stripes and when found on Pitch or Pond Pine can probably safely be identified as buchholzi; larvae of the new species have yet to be described (Wagner et al., 2011).
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: With the exception of one record from Hanging Rock State Park in the western Piedmont, all of our records come from the Coastal Plain
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Zale buchholzi
Flight Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

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