Oriental Scarlet is a mainly Asian species. Its distribution area includes eastern Turkey, where it co-exists with its European and African counterpart C. erythraea, and reaches all the way to eastern Asia. In areas that lie on the border of temperate to tropical climates (e.g. the Himalayas) both species co-exist as well. In these areas, it’s virtually impossible to ID mature individuals of the two species without close study of their genitals. Immature individuals of Oriental Scarlet can be easily ID’d by the presence of orange bars in the leading wing edges and orange wing tips. These orange patches disappear over time.
in and around Europe
