Diagnosis. The forewings are a medium brown, the hindwings slightly greyer. The forewing postmedial is transverse, straight, and has two forms: double, dark brown; pale, with a dark brown spot just exterior to it on the dorsum.
Taxonomic note. Poole (1989) included all the above list of synonyms, and added commixtalis Zeller, fumidalis Zeller and jussalis Walker. Lödl (1994) excluded jussalis as a good species restricted to Africa (and possibly Madagascar) and related to H. laceratalis Walker, and commented on the dubious status of commixtalis and fumidalis.
Geographical range. Oriental tropics to Sundaland, Tanimbar.
Habitat preference. Bornean material is limited to a few old specimens with a typewritten label ‘Kinabalu’.
Biology. Bell (MS) described the larva (as jussalis Walker) in India. It is typical of the genus. The head is green, speckled brown with clusters of spots in places, with setae on black chalazae. The body is smooth, a watery dark green with indistinct whitish dorsolateral and spiracular lines. The spiracles are light brown with black rims. The setae arise from minute dark brown or black chalazae.
The larvae live stretched on the undersides of the leaves of the host plant, sometimes looped over the anterior part or with head held in the air. Pupation is in earth within a silken cell or cocoon.
The host plant recorded was Hygrophila (Acanthaceae). Robinson et al. (2001) also listed Hemigraphis in this family and Desmodium (Leguminosae), Citrus (Rutaceae) and Lantana (Verbenaceae). The last may be erroneous through past confusion of this species with H. laceratalis Walker (see below).
