Chalk Burnet

Appearance

Its bright aposematic colours of red, white and black on the wings indicate to possible predators such as birds that it is foul-tasting or poisonous. In flight, the bright red abdomen is revealed, contrasting with the white legs and black head and antennae; the thorax is black and white with an eye-spot on each side . There appears to be a considerable variation in pattern among specimens from different parts of Europe.

Naming

*''Zygaena fausta fausta''
⤷ ''Zygaena fausta agilis'' Reiss, 1932
⤷ ''Zygaena fausta alpiummicans'' Verity, 1926
⤷ ''Zygaena fausta baetica'' Rambur, 1839
⤷ ''Zygaena fausta fassnidgei'' Tremewan & Manley, 1965
⤷ ''Zygaena fausta faustina'' Ochsenheimer, 1808
⤷ ''Zygaena fausta fernan'' Agenjo, 1948
⤷ ''Zygaena fausta fina'' Burgeff, 1956
⤷ ''Zygaena fausta fortunata'' Rambur, 1866
⤷ ''Zygaena fausta gibraltarica'' Tremewan, 1961
⤷ ''Zygaena fausta jucunda'' Meisner, 1818
⤷ ''Zygaena fausta junceae'' Oberthur, 1884
⤷ ''Zygaena fausta lacrymans'' Burgeff, 1914
⤷ ''Zygaena fausta murciensis'' Reiss, 1922
⤷ ''Zygaena fausta preciosa'' Reiss, 1920
⤷ ''Zygaena fausta suevica'' Reiss, 1920

Distribution

It is distributed on Western Europe including Spain, France, Northern Italy, Switzerland, Austria and Southern and Central Germany.

It is rare or absent from Britain, the Netherlands and Belgium, where related species include the similarly aposematic Five-spot Burnet and the Six-spot Burnet.

Food

The caterpillar is dark gray with a black line above a line of white interrupted by yellow bands. The caterpillar's food plants are Vetches of the genus Coronilla.

The adults often visit a wide range of flowers including Knapweed and Eryngo. Typical habitat is dry chalk grassland. Adults fly throughout the summer from April or May until October. The sexes are similar but not identical ; mating takes place by day on isolated plants.