Zale curema

Zale curema
Conservation status
Apparently Secure  (NatureServe) [1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Superfamily:	Noctuoidea
Family:	Erebidae
Genus:	Zale
Species:	Z. curema
Binomial name
Zale curema (J. B. Smith, 1908)
Synonyms
Phaeocyma curemaSmith, 1908

Zale curema, the black-eyed zale moth, black-eyed zale or northeastern pine zale, is a moth of the family Erebidae. The species was first described by John Bernhard Smith in 1908. ^{[1] [2] [3] [4]} It is found in forests and woodlands in the eastern United States ^{[1] [3]} and Canada. ^[3] The species is listed as endangered in Connecticut, ^[5] but is classified as "apparently secure" globally. ^{[1] [6]}

The wingspan is up to about 35 mm. There is one generation per year. ^[7] The larvae feed on pitch pine. They prefer young needles. ^{[4] [7]}

References

1. "Zale curema Black-eyed Zale Moth". NatureServe. 8 January 2025. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
2. "Zale curema Smith, 1908". Global Lepidoptera Index 1.1.25.217. 5 August 2025. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
3. "931044.00 – 8709 Zale curema (Smith, 1908) Black-eyed Zale". Digital Guide to Moth Identification. Moth Photographers Group, Mississippi Entomological Museum. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
4. "Black-eyed Zale Zale curema (Smith, 1908)". Conservation guide. New York Natural Heritage Program. Archived from the original on August 24, 2016. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
5. "Connecticut's Endangered, Threatened and Special Concern Species 2015" Archived June 12, 2018, at the Wayback Machine . State of Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Bureau of Natural Resources. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
6. "Black-eyed Zale". Status List. New York Natural Heritage Program. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
7. "Northeastern Pine Zale (Zale curema)". Forest Pests. Archived from the original on October 31, 2007.