Moths of North Carolina

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View PDF	Erebidae Members:	Zale Members:	113 NC Records

Zale horrida Hübner, 1819 - Horrid Zale

Taxonomy

Superfamily:
Noctuoidea

Family:
Erebidae

Subfamily:
Erebinae

Tribe:
Ophiusini

P3 Number:
931053

MONA Number:
8717.00

Other Common Name:
Scaled Zale

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); Beadle and Leckie (2012)

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

Technical Description, Adults: Forbes (1923)

Technical Description, Immature Stages: Wagner (2005); Wagner et al. (2011)

Adult Markings: Adults are unmistakable: dark umber to lustrous coal black over the basal and medial portions of the wings, with an undulating, contrasting yellow-brown border along the outer margin on both the fore- and hindwings. Other blackish Zales lack this contrasting edge. Scale tufts on the thorax and abdomen and raised scales on the outer border give horrida a highly sculpted, ornamented appearance; despite its somber coloration, it is one of our more gaudy species of moths.

Structural photos

Adult ID Requirements: Unmistakable and widely known.

Immatures and Development: Caterpillars are a nondescript grayish to reddish (see photos in Wagner et al., 2011) and are probably best distinguished by their host plants, horrida being the only specialist among the Zales on Viburnums (but some of the host plant generalists, e.g., Z. lunata, might also occasionally be found on Viburnums).

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 do not have any records for the northern Mountains

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: Appears to be single-brooded in the Mountains but multiple-brooded in the Piedmont and Coastal Plain

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: The majority of our records come from wet, acidic habitats in the Coastal Plain, including pocosins and other peatlands, blackwater floodplains, and Sandhill streamheads. In all of these cases, Viburnum nudum is a common species and is the most likely host plant. Away from the Coastal Plain, Z. horrida has been reported from both wetland and upland habitats. In some areas, such as the Mason Farm Biological Preserve, it may be associated with mafic habitats where V. rafinesquianum is particularly common. However, it also occurs in other upland areas where the substrates are much more likely to be more felsic, e.g., Satullah Mountain and Slick Rock in the Mountains.

Larval Host Plants: Larvae are apparently stenophagous, only reported on Viburnum species (Covell, 1984; Wagner, 2005; Wagner et al., 2011). Covell stated that Nannyberry (V. lentago) is used, but that species does not apparently grow in North Carolina (Weakley, 2012). Possumhaw Viburnum (V. nudum), a related species, appears to be far more likely to be a host plant, particularly in the eastern part of the state. Additionally, Wagner et al. reported that most of their collections come from Southern Arrowwood (V. dentatum) and related species, several of which are widely distributed across the state. - View

Observation Methods: May come to lights, including blacklights, fairly sparingly; the largest number recorded in a single trap is three, with single specimens collected most commonly. Baiting is much more productive, as is true for most Zale species.

Wikipedia

See also Habitat Account for General Viburnum Thickets

Status in North Carolina

Natural Heritage Program Status:

Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 SNR [S4S5]

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

Comments: This species does not appear to be common, but that may be due to it's being poorly sampled by lights. Although it is specialized on Viburnum, the species it uses are apparently widely distributed and occur in a number of different habitat types. Except in the Coastal Plain, where it occurs in successional wetlands, most of records from the rest of the state come from stands of mature hardwoods with a well-developed shrub layer. It may therefore be vulnerable to the effects of clear-cutting and conversion of hardwoods to pine plantations and other heavily managed forests. Given its wide range in the state and use of a number of different habitats, however, Z. horrida appears to be relatively secure.

Photo Gallery for Zale horrida - Horrid Zale

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

	Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2025-06-16 Mecklenburg Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Emily Stanley on 2025-05-16 Buncombe Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2025-05-03 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2025-04-23 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George on 2024-07-04 Chatham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: K. Bischof on 2024-05-08 Transylvania Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-04-29 Chatham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jeff Niznik, David George on 2024-04-10 Durham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-04-08 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-04-01 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Emily Stanley on 2024-03-05 Buncombe Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-04-29 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-04-20 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-04-13 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Vin Stanton on 2023-04-04 Buncombe Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-04-04 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Chuk smith on 2023-04-01 Davidson Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-03-26 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-03-24 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: John Petranka on 2022-07-24 Orange Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-05-17 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-05-09 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-05-05 Buncombe Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-04-21 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-04-11 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Alicia Jackson on 2022-03-31 Moore Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-03-30 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Vin Stanton on 2022-03-22 Buncombe Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-03-06 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2021-12-17 Madison Co. Comment: