Photo © Nick Montegriffo
Spanish Festoon
Zerynthia rumina
Checklist Number56.0001 [B&F: 1538]
Verification
Record requires retention of specimen until confirmed, and may require dissection. Consult with CMR if unsure
Classification
| Family: | Papilionidae |
| Subfamily: | Parnassiinae |
| Genus: | Zerynthia |
| Species: | rumina |
| Authority: | (Linnaeus, 1758) |
Locally common, in scrubland, maquis, rough ground and dry open areas throughout much of south-western Europe. Wingspan 44-46 mm. Larva feeds on Birthwort.
H Goss wrote in the Entomologist's Monthly Magazine, 1877 "When I was in Brighton last Saturday, Mr. Dowsett, of North Street, showed me a fine specimen of Thais rumina which had recently been caught in the Brighton market. There can be no doubt that the insect had been imported from the Mediterranean with fruit or vegetables." There seems little reason why this species is on the British list.
H Goss wrote in the Entomologist's Monthly Magazine, 1877 "When I was in Brighton last Saturday, Mr. Dowsett, of North Street, showed me a fine specimen of Thais rumina which had recently been caught in the Brighton market. There can be no doubt that the insect had been imported from the Mediterranean with fruit or vegetables." There seems little reason why this species is on the British list.