The taxonomic status of the Eastern knapweed fritillary is only recently illuminated, when it was separated as an independandt species from the
knapweed fritillary. The differentiation of these species is very difficult and desirable to confirm the identification by DNA analysis or breeding of caterpillars (the head of the catepillar of the Eastern knapweed fritillary is red, whereas in Knapweed fritillary it is black). One of the characters that divides the adult stages of the Knapweed fritillary is the brighter and uniform color from the upper side of the wings. More importantly, the thin, black line that tracks the edge of the underside of the rear wing is intertwined with wing nervature and a triangular shape (looks like arrow). In the knapweed fritillary this line is not interrupted, and is usually flat, with uniform thickness. The habitat of the Eastern knapweed fritillary are usually warmer and dryer compared to the Knapweed fritillary. The only validated finding of this species in Serbia is in the south, from the Pcinja River Valley. The records show that the caterpillars are feeding on plants from the genus:
Centaurea,
Carduus,
Jurinea,
Cirsium, etc
. Although the distribution in Serbia is not sufficiently known, we know that the butterfly largely inhabits the area of southern Europe (from Italy to the east) and parts of Western Asia
.