It is found in north and north-eastern Germany, Scandinavia, Poland, Russia (from the Ural to the Pacific coast), Mongolia, Siberia, the Ussuri region, Korea and Japan.

In North America, it is found in Alaska, the Yukon, the Northwest Territories and British Columbia.

it is very similar to Autographa pulchrina, which is usually lighter and redder in colour overall.

Autographa jota is somewhat larger and usually predominantly pinkish-brown in colour, Autographa mandarina, on the other hand, is usually darker and shows a large gamma sign.

Because of the similarity to the above-mentioned species, a genital morphological examination must be used for a reliable determination.