Subspecies include:[2] This species can be found in most of Europe (Austria, Balearic Islands, Belgium, British Islands, Bulgaria, Central European Russia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands and Ukraine), in the Near East and North Africa.

[1] These moths are silvicolous and they mainly occur in deciduous, mixed and coniferous forest, clearings and warm slopes, at an elevation up to 1,000–1,500 metres (3,300–4,900 ft) above sea level.

[4] Barberry bushes, on which the larva exclusively feed, were mostly eliminated by farmers in the United Kingdom because they can act as a host to a rust fungus that also infects wheat.

One of the Back from the Brink conservation projects, some barberry carpet moths were reared in captivity and after the barberry shrub was reintroduced to 169 sites, captive moths were released and are now found at several locations throughout southern and central England.

[5][6] The programme was managed by the Barberry Highways Group, including Chester Zoo, Dudley Zoo, British Waterways, Drayton Manor Theme Park, West Leeds Country Park and Butterfly Conservation.