Image of Lunate Zale

Description:

"Lunate Zale Moth (Zale lunata) 30 August 2014: Walked about Avondale Park in Denton, Texas, and came upon a Lunate Zale Moth (Zale lunata), that's been IDentified for us by the generous assistance of Robert Lord Zimlich, Contributing Editor, and David E. Reed, Contributor, at BugGuide, which is hosted and based in the Department of Entomology at Iowa State University. To review the ID made on BugGuide, go here: http://bugguide.net/node/view/1165740. This particular specimen is a weathered or seasoned example of the species. The range map for Lunate Zale Moth provided in the Moth Photographers Group (MPG) indicates that this moth is found extensively in the eastern half of the United States and that its range is solidly established too along the West Coast of the United States up to British Columbia in Canada. It is found as far north as the southeast of Canada bordering with the United States and the Great Lakes area and then extends southward along the Atlantic Coast as well as west and east of the great Mississippi River all the way to southern Florida and the Caribbean nations and to the west into Texas to the border with Mexico as occurs similarly in southern California indicating a presence of this moth in northern Mexico and perhaps farther south as well. The region from its presence in the eastern half of the United States to the West Coast leaves a large area where it apparently does not fly but it is present to a lesser extent in New Mexico and Arizona in this regard. Because of its extensive presence in North America including the Caribbean Lunate Zale Moth is an authentic resident of the Western Hemisphere. Avondale Park is administered by the City of Denton, Texas. Sources: ""Species Zale lunata - Lunate Zale - Hodges#8689,” BugGuide, Department of Entomology, Iowa State University, to access the ID made by Robert Lord Zimlich and access additional images and discussion of additional observations made of this moth species including a range map, go to: http://bugguide.net/node/view/4197 ""Zale lunata – Lunate Zale Moth – (Drury, 1773),"" North American Moth Photographers Group, Mississippi Entomological Museum, Mississippi State University, for a wide array of additional photographs of this moth species and for a range map of the same go to: http://mothphotographersgroup.msstate.edu/species.php?hodges=8689"