Caterpillars of Eastern Forests

Oblique Zale (Zale obliqua)

Coloration variable, with broad alternating dark and pale stripes. Head brownish with 2 thin black lines extending back from antenna, but without line from eyes to vertex; labrum shallowly notched. Dark subdorsal and spiracular stripes bounded by lighter coloration. Low paired dorsal warts on eighth abdominal segment; those on ninth minute. Spiracles brown or black. Caterpillar of gray-banded zale (Z. squamularis) closely similar; several additional zales co-occur with oblique zale on pine that are not distinguished in this guide. Food: red, jack, and pitch pines. Caterpillar: July to August; 1 generation.

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