| Southern Festoon | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Papilionidae |
| Genus: | Zerynthia |
| Species: | Z. polyxena |
| Binomial name | |
| Zerynthia polyxena (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775) |
|
The Southern Festoon (Zerynthia polyxena) is a striking butterfly belonging to the Papilionidae family of butterflies with a wingspan of 60–80 mm. Its flight time is from April to June in a single brood.
SE France, Italy and eastwards to Slovakia and Greece covering all the Balkans.
The Southern Festoon (Z. polyxena) is conspicuously colored with a red warning color to deter predators. It can be confused only with the Spanish Festoon (Z. rumina). The differences are in the presence of blue on the hind wings of Z. polyxena and the relatively lower amount of red on its forewings as compared to Z. rumina. The larvae of Z. polyxena are yellowish with fleshy spikes all over the body. They feed on birthworts (Aristolochia sp.)