In 1902, the species was first discovered by Shinkai Inokichi Kuwana on mulberry and maple trees in Japan. The species is native to eastern Asia and it was introduced into central Asia, eastern Europe, the United States, Canada, Brazil, and Argentina. It was originally believed that P. comstocki was in New Zealand, but a 1977 study determined that the specimens were P. calceolariae and P. obscurus.
