Their range extends from Iberia and the British Isles in the West, across Central and Eastern Europe, to Siberia and the Russian Far East and Japan.

A discal stain can be present in some specimens, but may be small and indistinct limited or absent.

The patterns vary in intensity and arrangement.The relatively short and stubby caterpillar tapers at both the front and the rear end.

The shiny blue-green to greenish brown pupa has yellow-coloured segment incisions.

The larvae mainly feed on the leaves of various trees, including ader (Alnus glutinosa), birch (Betula) and willow (Salix) species.