In Europe this species is restricted to SE Europe, mainly the Balkan Peninsula. Outside the Balkans it occurs on Crete, the western half of Turkey and other countries in western Asia.
In Bulgaria it is a widespread and sometimes locally common species occurring at lower altitudes.
Like those of the Southern Festoon (Zerynthia polyxena), the larvae are often easy to spot on their fooplant, where (though they are often sitting in the shade of the leaves of their hostplant), they are poorly camouflaged. Presumably they rely on their toxicity to protect them from predation. They pupate away from their foodplant on the more substantial stems of woody plants etc.
They are easy to separate from the larvae of their earlier flying cogener the Southern Festoon as they lack the dark tips to their spiky tubercles. For comparison see photos of larvae under both species here.
Warm bushy places, and waste places amongst agricultural land where it's foodpland Birthwort grows.
Recorded in 34 (1.8%) of the 1900 10km squares of Bulgaria.
Last recorded in June 2019
Recorded date range (Adult): 06 May to 07 July
Recorded date range (Larva/Leafmine): 13 July to 13 July
