Zerynthia polyxena, the southern festoon, is a striking butterfly belonging to the family Papilionidae of butterflies. Its flight time is from April to June in a single brood.

Description

The southern festoon can reach a wingspan of 60–80 mm. The females have slightly longer wings, usually lighter colored than males. The basic color of the wings is yellow, but they have a complicated pattern of several black bands and spots. On the edges of the hindwings they have a series of blue and red warning spots to deter potential predators. The body is dark brown and bears red patches on the sides of the abdomen.

This butterfly 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 caterpillars of Z. polyxena are up to 35 millimeters long. They are initially black, then they are yellowish with six rows of fleshy orange and black spikes all over the body. They feed on birthworts (Aristolochia sp.), mainly (Aristolochia clematitis and Aristolochia rotunda). The special food of the larvae provides the toxic substances which then also go to the adults, making them inedible.

Development

The adults are active for no more than three weeks. The females lay their eggs singly or in small groups at the bottom of the host plants. The eggs are spherical and whitish at first, bluish colored before hatching. The young caterpillars feed at first on flowers and young shoots, while after the second molt they feed on leaves. The pupae stay linked to a support by a silk belt for wintering and the new adults hatch the next spring.

Distribution

Mounted specimen
Z. polyxena is widespread in the middle and southern Europe (southeastern France, Italy, Slovakia and Greece) covering all the Balkans and reaching the south of Kazakhstan and the Urals. Although they are widespread they occur only locally.

Habitat

Habitat of Z. polyxena, Regional Park of Capanne di Marcarolo (Piedmont), about 900 m. above sea level
These butterflies can be found in warm, sunny and open places such as vineyards, river banks, wetlands, cultivated areas, brushy places, wasteland, rocky cliffs and karst terrains, at an elevation of about 1,700 meters above sea level, but usually under 900 meters.

Subspecies and forms

Zerynthia polyxena polyxena (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775) in Italy
Zerynthia polyxena polyxena f. punctata Schultz, 1908
Zerynthia polyxena polyxena f. marpha Schultz, 1908
Zerynthia polyxena polyxena f. rubra Hoffmann], 1916
Zerynthia polyxena polyxena f. bella Neuburger, 1903
Zerynthia polyxena polyxena f. bipunctata Cosmovici, 1892
Zerynthia polyxena polyxena f. meridionalis Hoffmann, 1916
Zerynthia polyxena polyxena f. tripunctata Zelezny, 1916
Zerynthia polyxena polyxena f. nora Schultz, 1908 (kreusa Tomala)
Zerynthia polyxena polyxena f. muelleri Bryk, 1921 (mulleri Bryk, recte muelleri)
Zerynthia polyxena polyxena f. springeri Ronnicke, 1906
Zerynthia polyxena polyxena f. reducta Zelezny, 1915
Zerynthia polyxena polyxena f. nigromaculata Zelezny, 1915
Zerynthia polyxena polyxena f. unimaculata Zelezny, 1915
Zerynthia polyxena polyxena f. demaculata Schultz, 1908
Zerynthia polyxena polyxena f. confluens Schultz, 1908
Zerynthia polyxena polyxena f. lateviltata Schultz, 1908
Zerynthia polyxena polyxena f. fasciata Begrer, 1919
Zerynthia polyxena polyxena f. skalae Zelezny, 1917
Zerynthia polyxena polyxena f. derubescens Zullich, 1928
Zerynthia polyxena polyxena f. alba Esper, 1805
Zerynthia polyxena polyxena f. subalba Schultz, 1908
Zerynthia polyxena polyxena f. rufescens Oberthur, 1879
Zerynthia polyxena polyxena f. meta Meigen
Zerynthia polyxena polyxena f. ochracea Staudinger, 1861
Zerynthia polyxena polyxena f. cellopura Eisner
Zerynthia polyxena polyxena f. basinigra Eisner
Zerynthia polyxena polyxena f. quincunx Eisner
Zerynthia polyxena polyxena f. divisa Schultz, 1908
Zerynthia polyxena polyxena f. ornata Eisner
Zerynthia polyxena polyxena f. vitrina Rothschild
Zerynthia polyxena polyxena f. irregularis Holland
Zerynthia polyxena aemiliae (Rocci, 1929) in North Italy; Lombardy: Massa Lombarda, Modena, Livorno
Zerynthia polyxena albanica (Riemel, 1927) in Albania
Zerynthia polyxena australis Esper, 1780 (medesicaste Hoffmannsegg) (south France: Provence - east Pyrenees)
Zerynthia polyxena australis f. alicea Neuburger, 1903
Zerynthia polyxena australis f. paucipunctata Neuburger
Zerynthia polyxena australis f. tristis Verity
Zerynthia polyxena australis f. divisa Schultez
Zerynthia polyxena australis f. hartmanni Staudfuss, 1896
Zerynthia polyxena australis f. unipunctata Eisner, 1954
Zerynthia polyxena australis f. minusculus Eisner
Zerynthia polyxena australis f. vitrina Rothschild sensu Eisner
Zerynthia polyxena australis f. aperta Eisner, 1954
Zerynthia polyxena australis f. quincunx Eisner
Zerynthia polyxena australis f. honnerathii Boisduval, 1832
Zerynthia polyxena australis f. albescens Eisner
Zerynthia polyxena australis f. binaria Eisner
Zerynthia polyxena bosniensis (Eisner, 1974) in Bosnia
Zerynthia polyxena bosniensis f. ochracea Staudinger, 1861
Zerynthia polyxena bosniensis f.reducta Zelzny, 1915
Zerynthia polyxena bryki (Eisner, 1954) in Montenegro, Herzegovina border
Zerynthia polyxena cantabrica Gomez-Bustille (Spain: Cantabrica)
Zerynthia polyxena carmenae (Sabariego et Martinez, 1991) in Bulgaria
Zerynthia polyxena cassandra (Geyer, 1828) in south France, north Italy
Zerynthia polyxena cassandra f. ochracea Staudinger, 1861
Zerynthia polyxena cassandra f. vitrina Rothschild, 1918
Zerynthia polyxena cassandra f. inornata Pionneau
Zerynthia polyxena cassandra f. bella Neuburger
Zerynthia polyxena cassandra f. reducta Železný, 1915
Zerynthia polyxena cassandra f. quincunx Eisner
Zerynthia polyxena cassandra f. microcreusa Verity, 1947
Zerynthia polyxena cassandra f. deminuta Verity, 1947
Zerynthia polyxena cassandra-clara (Verity, 1947) in Croatia
Zerynthia polyxena castiliana Ruhl, 1892 (transcastilia Mon) (Central Spain: Castilia, Albarracín)
Zerynthia polyxena castiliana f. derubescens Schultz
Zerynthia polyxena castiliana f. honnorathii Boisduval, 1832 (henrietta Timmins)
Zerynthia polyxena castiliana f. tristis Verity, 1906
Zerynthia polyxena castiliana f. semitristis de Sagarra, 1930
Zerynthia polyxena castiliana f. ornatissima Blachier, 1908
Zerynthia polyxena castiliana f. nigricans Holland
Zerynthia polyxena castiliana f. alicea Neuburger, 1903
Zerynthia polyxena catalonica de Sagarra 1930 (Spain: Catalonia)
Zerynthia polyxena catalonica f. semitristis de Sagarra, 1930
Zerynthia polyxena caucasiae (Nardelli & Hirschfeld, 2002) north west of Caucasus
Zerynthia polyxena creusa Meigen, 1829 (central Italy: Ventimiglia (Verity, 1950), cf. Eisner, 1974!)
Zerynthia polyxena decastroi (Sala & Bollino, 1992) in Italy
Zerynthia polyxena deminuta (Verity, 1947) southern of France
Zerynthia polyxena demnosia Freyer, 1833 (Dahl MS) (albanica Riemel], thusnelda Schultz) (= ssp. macedonia Eisner, 1974 (Macedonia, Thessalia, Dalmatia, Albania)
Zerynthia polyxena demnosia f. quincunx Eisner
Zerynthia polyxena demnosia f. vitrina Rothschild
Zerynthia polyxena demnosia f. ochracea Staudinger, 1861
Zerynthia polyxena gracilis (Schultz, 1908) in north-east Turkey: Brusa, Karagja Dagh
Zerynthia polyxena idaensis (Eisner, 1974) in Crete
Zerynthia polyxena idaensis f. rumina Linne, 1758
Zerynthia polyxena latevittata (Verity, 1919) in Sicily
Zerynthia polyxena latiaris (Stichel, 1907) in south Italy: Calabria, Rome, Monti Albani
Zerynthia polyxena linnea (Bryk, 1932) in Italy, Elba
Zerynthia polyxena macedonia (Eisner, 1974) in Macedonia
Zerynthia polyxena michaelis (Nardelli, 1993) in Italy
Zerynthia polyxena microcreusa (Verity, 1947) southern of France
Zerynthia polyxena minima Gerhardinger, 1951 Spain: Toledo)
Zerynthia polyxena nemorensis (Verity, 1919) in Italy: Toscana, Firenze.
Zerynthia polyxena nigra (Sijaric, 1989) in Bosnia
Zerynthia polyxena padana (Rocci, 1929) in north Italy: Piedmont, Lombardy, Turin
Zerynthia polyxena patrizii (Nardelli, 1993) in Italy
Zerynthia polyxena petheri Romei, 1927 (south Spain: Sierra Nevada)
Zerynthia polyxena petri (Bryk, 1932) in Greece, south Ukrainskaja: Cherson, Kiev, lower Juzinyi Bug, Krim
Zerynthia polyxena polymnia (Millière, 1880) in Greece: Euboea
Zerynthia polyxena reverdinii (Fruhstorfer, 1908) in west and north Italy: Liguria.
Zerynthia polyxena silana (Storace, 1962) in Italy
Zerynthia polyxena sontae (Sijaric, 1989) in Serbia
Zerynthia polyxena taygetana (Rosen, 1929) in Greece: Taygetus, Peleponesos
Zerynthia polyxena thesto Fruhstorfer, 1908 in south-west U.S.S.R.: lower Volga, Saratow, lower Don
Zerynthia polyxena thesto f. rufescens Oberthur, 1879
Zerynthia polyxena thesto f. muelleri Bryk, 1991
Zerynthia polyxena thesto f. cellopura Eisner
Zerynthia polyxena tristis de Lattin, 1950 in Turkey
Zerynthia polyxena vipsania Hemming, 1941 (:latevittata Verity, 1919, a secondary homonym of latevittata Schultz, 1908: creusa Mann, nec Meigen, Dahl MS: polymnia Ragusa, 1906, (Sicily)
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source - Wikipedia