This species and the yellow coster (Acraea issoria) are the only two Indian representatives of the predominantly African tribe Acraeini.

[2] It is found in India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Maldives to Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Singapore,[3][4] and recently Australia.

[8] Pierre and Bernaud, in 1997, stated that they verified the type in the Linnean Society of London and considered A. violae the same species as A.

The adult tends to avoid dense undergrowth and shady areas, instead keeping to open spaces in all types of vegetation.

Like all butterflies protected in this manner, Acraea terpsicore has a tough exoskeleton which enables the adult to survive a few pecks of a bird or even the bites of a lizard.

Sometimes the butterfly will not sit, but rest gently on the flower while feeding, while doing this, to maintain balance, it beats only its forewings while keeping the hindwings completely steady.

The tawny coster is one of a group of butterflies where females feature a sphragis (copulatory plug) which is formed after a mating session.

They have also been noted to feed on the leaves of Hybanthus enneaspermus (Violaceae) in Bengal[16] and on Turnera ulmifolia (Passifloraceae) in Maharashtra.

[14] Cylindrical, slender, with six longitudinal rows of fine branched spines; colour reddish brown with an oily gloss, much paler on the head, second and last segment; an unwholesome looking insect, doubtless protected like the butterfly.

—Davidson & Aitken[14]The pupa boldly marked with aposematic colours, advertising the fact that this is an unwholesome object if eaten.

[14] Perpendicularly hung, long, slender, smooth; two lateral angles on the thorax; head quadrate; colour creamy white, with broad longitudinal bars of purplish-black spotted with orange.