Diagnosis. The forewings are a rich medium brown, uniformly darker basal to a straight, slightly oblique postmedial border. The paler marginal area is greyish brown, tending to grade darker towards the margin and apex. There is an irregularly punctate, darker submarginal. The apical patch is ill-defined but usually slightly paler and greyer. See also the next species.
Geographical range. Indian Subregion, Taiwan, Indochina, Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra (Lödl,1999e), Borneo, ?Sulawesi, Sula Is. (sulalis)).
Habitat preference. H. iconicalis is infrequent in lowland forest. The species (confused with the next) was taken exclusively in samples from primary forest understorey in Danum Valley area (S.J. Willott, unpublished data) but in much lower numbers overall than for jugalis or ischyra Prout (see above and below).
Biology. Bell (MS) recorded the larva in India. It is typical of the genus. The head is orange with large black spots associated with some setae. The body is dull white with setae on jet black chalazae, each with a diameter three times that of the spiracle. The ventrum to just above the supraspiracular setae is sooty black, with some yellowish tinges in the spiracular area. Above this, there are white and brown longitudinal bands. Each segment is pure white across the dorsum from the posterior margin for one quarter of the length.
The larva behaves as in congeners, resting on the underside of young leaves, and pupating in a silken cell that incorporates detritus.
The host plants recorded were Derris and Pongamia (Leguminosae). Robinson et al. (2001) added Butea, Desmodium and Flemingia from the same family, but some records may be of the next species.
