''Zale undularis'', the black zale moth, is a

moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of w ...

of the family

Noctuidae The Noctuidae, commonly known as owlet moths, cutworms or armyworms, are a family of moths. They are considered the most controversial family in the superfamily Noctuoidea because many of the clades are constantly changing, along with the other f ...

(or in some classifications,

Erebidae The Erebidae are a family of moths in the superfamily Noctuoidea. The family is among the largest families of moths by species count and contains a wide variety of well-known macromoth groups. The family includes the underwings ('' Catocala'') ...

). The species was first described by

Dru Drury Dru Drury (4 February 1724 – 15 December 1803) was a British collector of natural history specimens and an entomologist. He had specimens collected from across the world through a network of ship's officers and collectors including Henry Sme ...

in 1773. It is found in the eastern United States and southern

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

Description

Upperside: the antennae are brown and thread like. The head, body,

abdomen The abdomen (colloquially called the belly, tummy, midriff, tucky or stomach) is the part of the body between the thorax (chest) and pelvis, in humans and in other vertebrates. The abdomen is the front part of the abdominal segment of the torso. ...

, and wings are of a very dark brown, bordering on black, and appear somewhat glossy. All the wings are a little dentated, and on the anterior ones, from the base to the extremity, is a series of black indented lines or bars, whereof the last or outer one is strong and conspicuous, crossing the wing from the anterior to the posterior edges, about a quarter of an inch from the external margin. The posterior wings are marked exactly like the superior. The underside is of a lighter colour, with the same kind of markings, but fainter. The wingspan is about 2 inches (5 cm).

References

Catocalinae Moths described in 1773 Taxa named by Dru Drury Descriptions from Illustrations of Exotic Entomology {{Catocalinae-stub