Colorful and Clandestine Zale Moths

Zale minerea · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Erebidae

Also called: Colorful Zale, Colorful Zale Moth

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Colorful and Clandestine Zale Moths
Photo: Jeff Niznik, CC BY-SA

The colorful zale moth is an owlet moth in the family Erebidae. It occurs in North America.

Source: Wikipedia

How to recognize it

Zale minerea, called the colorful zale, is an owlet moth in the family Erebidae.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it lives

This species is found in North America.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it comes from

Its native range is North America.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it is found in the US

Recorded in 46 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Connecticut, Alabama, Vermont.

Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.

Source: GBIF

Months it is reported in the US

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Source: GBIF

More photos

Colorful and Clandestine Zale Moths photo 3
Photo: laurawies, CC BY
Colorful and Clandestine Zale Moths photo 4
Photo: David George, CC BY
Colorful and Clandestine Zale Moths photo 5
Photo: erothsch, CC BY
Colorful and Clandestine Zale Moths photo 6
Photo: Cam Fox, CC BY

Same family (Erebidae)

Spongy MothSpongy MothLymantria disparDamages trees, gardens or cropsFall Webworm MothFall Webworm MothHyphantria cuneaDamages trees, gardens or cropsBrown-tail MothBrown-tail MothEuproctis chrysorrhoeaCan irritate skinIsabella Tiger MothIsabella Tiger MothPyrrharctia isabellaVirginian Tiger MothVirginian Tiger MothSpilosoma virginicaCan irritate skinSalt Marsh MothSalt Marsh MothEstigmene acrea

Sources

  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zale_minerea

Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia

Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.

How this page works

This is one bug's fact sheet. The colored box at the top says whether it is dangerous. Sections below cover how to recognize it, whether it is a pest, and how to deal with it. The US map shows which states have records; tap a state to see other bugs there.

Every fact on Bug FAQ comes from a named source (university extension sites, government agencies, GBIF, iNaturalist, Wikipedia). The source is linked next to each section. If we have no source for something, we leave it out.