The wings are a pale brown colour with a pattern of small black specks, and the abdomen is red.

When these hatch, the larvae at first scrape the under surface of the leaf, but as they grow they feed on the edges of the leaves, giving these a net-like appearance.

[3] There are a number of natural enemies of these caterpillars, and in the jute crop in India, the braconid wasp Protapanteles obliquae is one of these.

By the second or third instar, the wasp larvae are fully grown and thrust their way out through the caterpillar's ventral surface, forming small, woolly, white chrysalises.

[3] The indiscriminate use of synthetic insecticides for this pest has not proved satisfactory, having led to resistance to the active ingredients among the target population, as well as causing damage to the environment.