Like the common rose the crimson rose is of the genus Atrophaneura or red-bodied swallowtails. It is found exclusively in India and Sri Lanka. It is high flier and often basks high up in trees.

The catterpillar of the crimson rose feeds on poisonous plants of the genus Aristolochia. These toxins are stored in its body and makes adult butterflies inedible. Its red body indicates to predators that it is unpalatable and this is why the non-poisonous female (romulus morph) of the common mormon (Papilio polytes) mimics this butterfly.