I would really like to know how

this moth acquired the name Zale horrida, 

or Horrid Zale.

It was named by a busy mid-nineteenth century German entomologist, Jacob Hubner.  He was considered the first of the great world lepidopterists.  What could this moth have done to Mr. Hubner to earn such an unbecoming description?  Even its hostplant, nannyberry, sounds so innocuous.  Did it have something to do with the caterpillar stage?  Could he have inadvertently sampled its delectability, or lack thereof?  Did it fly in his eye? 

Note the chocolaty raised scale tufts on the thorax. 

Makes me think of the gills on a mudpuppy.

June 14, 2002 

This from Eric Metzler:  "I think all of us need to be careful about using an English dictionary to look up words from a different language.  Hubner was probably using Greek or Latin.  I think that when you look up the word horrid in a Latin Dictionary, you'll discover it does not mean horrible.  Horridus means "standing on end, sticking out, rough shaggy, bristly, prickly."  I can see where Hubner found the appearance of the scales to be sticking out, rough or shaggy."

Makes more sense to me - JH