Eastern Festoon
Zerynthia cerisy
Allancastria cerisyi, the eastern festoon, is an Old World papilionid butterfly whose geographical range extends from the Balkans to include Turkey and the near Middle East. It exhibits several geographical variants.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC) via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allancastria_cerisyi
Taxonomy & Classification
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Arthropoda
Class
Insecta
Order
Lepidoptera
Family
Papilionidae
Genus
Zerynthia
Eastern Festoon belongs to the family Papilionidae, order Lepidoptera, within the Insecta class.
Species Profile
Allancastria cerisyi, the eastern festoon, is an Old World papilionid butterfly whose geographical range extends from the Balkans to include Turkey and the near Middle East. It exhibits several geographical variants.
The Eastern Festoon butterfly faces severe population declines primarily due to habitat destruction and fragmentation of its Mediterranean coastal and hillside environments. Urban development, agricultural intensification, and tourism infrastructure have significantly reduced the availability of its host plants and suitable breeding habitats. Climate change poses an additional threat by altering the distribution of both the butterfly and its essential Aristolochia host plants.
Key Facts
Threats
IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered
The Eastern Festoon butterfly faces severe population declines primarily due to habitat destruction and fragmentation of its Mediterranean coastal and hillside environments. Urban development, agricultural intensification, and tourism infrastructure have significantly reduced the availability of its host plants and suitable breeding habitats. Climate change poses an additional threat by altering the distribution of both the butterfly and its essential Aristolochia host plants.
Agricultural intensification
Habitat loss and fragmentation
Loss of host plant populations (Aristolochia species)
Urban development and tourism infrastructure
Climate change impacts
National vs Global Threat Status
How this species is assessed at the national level compared to its IUCN global status (CR).
| Country | National Status | Global Status | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| EU | NTNear Threatened | CRCritically Endangered | Lower local risk |
| EU | NTNear Threatened | CRCritically Endangered | Lower local risk |
National Red List data sourced from the National Red List Project (nationalredlist.org, ZSL) and country-specific Red List authorities.
Community Sightings
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Sources & Attribution
How to Cite
IUCN: IUCN (2025). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2025-1. Available at: https://www.iucnredlist.org. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2025-1.RLTS
GBIF: GBIF.org (2025). GBIF Home Page. Available at: https://www.gbif.org
National Red Lists: ZSL (2025). National Red List. Zoological Society of London. Available at: https://www.nationalredlist.org
This page: SpeciesRadar (2025). Eastern Festoon (Zerynthia cerisy). SpeciesRadar: Intelligence for Earth's Biodiversity. Available at: https://speciesradar.org/species/eastern-festoon