The larvae spin together the leaves of their food plants (such as birch and bog myrtle) to form their cocoons.

The distribution area stretches over northern Asia to the Russian Far East and large parts of China on to Japan.

The outer cross line forms a wide white band, which usually has a row of black dots.

In the black area of the margin is a wavy line broken into white stains, which forms an arrow- or spearhead-shaped element (R. hastata is Latin for spear shaped).

The nominotypical subspecies R. h. hastata form is large, with the median band strongly broken behind the middle, and intensely black markings.