Ottawa (Dunrobin), ON Canada

6 June 2004   (moth captured on 5 June 2004)  (top)
14 May 2004   12:24AM EST  (bottom)

Zale undularis, the Black Zale, is one of a dozen species of Zale that have been recorded from the Ottawa area (J.D. Lafontaine, pers. comm., 2001).

With wavy black lines on a black background, the pattern of forewing and hindwing of Zale undularis is not obvious unless one looks at it from certain angles.  The only noticeable colored mark is a small brown spot on the postmedial line about a third of the way down from the costa.  The most visible line on both wings is the terminal line, evident as a series of whitish dots preceding the black fringe.  The overall black color may have a slightly brownish cast, but no "dusting" of paler scales is evident.  In silhouette, the "ruff" of the thorax is visible, as in the bottom photo.  Zale undularis, like other Zale species, usually rests with its wings mostly open.  Covell (1984) indicates a wingspan from 3.8 to 4.6 cm.

According to Handfield (1999), the larvae of Zale undularis feed on black locust and honey locust, neither of which is native to my area although a neighbour has planted some black locust.  Handfield also notes a reference to dogwood as the host plant, and Cornus species are almost ubiquitous in my neighborhood.  In my general area, according to Handfield, the adult flight season for Zale undularis runs from late May nearly to the end of June.

My records to date for Zale undularis (each date representing "the night of") are in the table below: