[4] The brown awl is found in Sri Lanka, India, Myanmar, Cambodia, South Yunnan, Australia and Japan.

[2] As per William Harry Evans (1932), the butterfly is common in India and rare in the Andaman islands.

[7] During a population explosion, like those of the common banded awl (Hasora chromus), the caterpillars of the brown awl may strip away all their food supply forcing the butterflies to migrate to other places where a fresh supply of host plants is available and even to other habitats such as shrubs, grasslands and gardens.

The adults feed at lower levels on flowers of shrubs and small trees, but ascend to higher reaches of the vegetation to lay eggs or to bask, which it does very occasionally, holding its wings flat with the forewings covering the hindwings thus giving an arrowhead effect.

[7] Edward Yerbury Watson (1891) gives a detailed description:[9] Genus characters Forewing, narrow, elongated; costa slightly arched at base, exterior margin very oblique and slightly convex below the apex; cell very long and narrow, extending three-fourths the wing; first subcostal branch emitted at two-fifths, second at one-fifth, third at one-seventh, fourth close to and fifth at end of the cell; disco-cellulars very slender, inwardly oblique, of nearly equal length, upper bent inward close to subcostal; upper radial from the angle, lower from their middle; median branches curved at their base, middle branch emitted at about one-fourth, and lower at three-fourths before end of the cell; submedian curved in the middle; hindwing short; apex very convex, angularly lobed at anal angle, abdominal margin short; precostal projecting inward; costal vein arched upward from the base; second subcostal emitted at one-third from the base; cell broad throughout; disco-cellulars very slender, scarcely visible, of equal length; radial from their angle, very slender; middle median at about one-third, and lower at one-fifth from the base; submedian straight, internal slightly curved.

Thorax stout; abdomen rather long, attenuated; head broad; palpi broad and flattened in front, bristly on outer edge, third joint long, projected forward, cylindrical; fore-tibiae tufted beneath, femora slightly pilose beneath; antennae with a lengthened club and long pointed tip.Species description Upperside dark purplish brown, the base of both wings greyish olive brown.

[7] The brown awl lays many eggs on a single plant, one at a time, on the tips of fresh shoots.

[7] On hatching the larva webs the edges of leaves together with silk[10] to form a roomy cell from a leaf in which it resides throughout the larval stage.

The caterpillars of the brown awl grow faster than most of those of other families, and have moist, sticky droppings.

The caterpillar constructs a tubular cell from a leaf by drawing the edges together with thick strands of silk.