This is the most widespread and generally common member of the genus; it occurs in lowland areas across northwest Africa and throughout Europe from the Mediterranean north to Germany and east through Asia Minor and Siberia to China, and further north it is occasionally recorded from Scandinavia and the UK. Following intentional introductions to control gypsy moths it has now become established in several areas in the eastern United States. In many European countries, especially in southern areas, it remains generally abundant but in central areas e.g. Germany, has suffered a recent and abrupt decline thought to be caused by forestry management. It is probably native to the UK and has been recorded fairly frequently since the 19th century, many sightings have been near-coastal from the southeast and so attributed to occasional immigration but inland records may relate to specimens introduced by other means and the only verified breeding population was recorded from West Suffolk. Adults generally occur during the warmer months and, at least on the continent, large populations may occur in line with those of the host caterpillars which include various species of tussock moths (Lymantriidae) and processionary moths (Thaumetopoeidae). The typical habitat is deciduous woodland and orchards etc although adults have also been recorded from grassland and conifer woods on the continent, they occur year-round but are mostly active during the spring and early summer, rarely after July, they are excellent fliers and regularly recorded from light, especially in the spring. Both adults and larvae feed on moth larvae and pupae and both are gregarious, they climb trees and actively stalk prey both by night and by day, they also hunt on the ground where they have a more diverse diet and females generally spend more time on the ground than males or larvae. Adults are long-lived, between 2 and 4 years, they overwinter in subterranean cells between 5 and 50cm deep and some individuals have been observed to remain dormant for almost 2 years, and emerge in the spring to feed before mating begins, this has been observed through the spring and into the early summer.  Eggs are laid in soil or among litter and freshly emerged larvae feed for a while on the ground before ascending trees to  hunt, they develop  rapidly and may be  fully grown within a