Zygaena sarpedon is a moth

Moth

A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...

 of the Zygaenidae

Zygaenidae

The Zygaenidae moths are a family of Lepidoptera. The majority of zygaenids are tropical, but they are nevertheless quite well represented in temperate regions. There are about 1000 species. Various species are commonly known as Burnet or Forester moths, often qualified by the number of spots,...

 family. It is found in France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

, Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 and on the Iberian Peninsula

Iberian Peninsula

The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...

.

The wingspan

Wingspan

The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...

 is 24-28 mm. Adults are on wing from May to August depending on the location. There is one generation per year.

The larvae feed on Eryngium

Eryngium

Eryngium is a genus in the family Apiaceae of about 230 species of annuals and perennials with hairless and usually spiny leaves, and dome-shaped umbels of flowers resembling those of thistles. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution, with the centre of diversity in South America. Some species...

species, including Eryngium campestre

Eryngium campestre

Eryngium campestre is a species of Eryngium, which is used medicinally. A member of the Apiaceae family, Eryngo is a hairless, thorny perennial. The leaves are tough and stiff, whitish-green...

, Eryngium bourgatti and Eryngium maritimum. Larvae can be found from April to May in Italy. Pupation takes place in a blackish brown pupa in a whitish cocoon spun on the underside of the host plant, under rocks or in low vegetation.

Subspecies

• Zygaena sarpedon sarpedon
• Zygaena sarpedon algecirensis Reiss, 1927
• Zygaena sarpedon balearica Boisduval, [1828]
• Zygaena sarpedon hispanica Rambur, 1866
• Zygaena sarpedon carmencita Oberthur, 1910
• Zygaena sarpedon confluenta Reiss, 1927
• Zygaena sarpedon hispanica Rambur, 1866
• Zygaena sarpedon leuzensis Dujardin, 1956
• Zygaena sarpedon lusitanica Reiss, 1936
• Zygaena sarpedon pictonorum Bernardi & Viette 1959
• Zygaena sarpedon variabilis Burgeff 1926
• Zygaena sarpedon xerophila Dujardin 1956