They are at first completely black and moult to light green with a dark dorsal pattern outlined in white or yellow.

They also develop a tail fork with two long dark-colored tips bearing red extendable flagellae.

True vinula (44f), from Europe, has the ground light greyish white to grey, the markings of the forewing sharply.

It is found in May in Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco, and extends as far south into the Sahara as the food-plants occur.— intermedia Teich., [ ab.

[now full species] (44 e), which is distinguished by the black-edged patagia, very dark brown veins, white ground to both wings and especially deeply dentate postdiscal lines of the forewing.

[4] The moth is a Palearctic realm species and lives throughout Europe (Albania, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, United Kingdom, Bulgaria, European Russia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, European Turkey, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Republic of North Macedonia, Republic of Moldova, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Ukraine and Yugoslavia), across temperate Asia to China and in North Africa.

[2][6][7] Females lay their chocolate-brown, 1.5 millimetres (0.059 in) wide, hemispherical eggs on the upper side of the leaves of their food plants.

[3] The moth survives the winter as a pupa in a very solid wood-reinforced cocoon, usually attached to vegetation.

When disturbed, they strike a defensive pose raising the head with a reddish area and waving the twin tails with pinkish extendable flagellae.