MORPHOLOGY
External characteristics
Male
Forewing length (mm): 26 (Joicey and Talbot, 1922).
Forewings: The forewing upper side has a black distal area extending along the costa to the base, to the discocellulars. The forewing underside has a broader black distal area. There is a subapical lemmon-chrome spot (Pequin, 2021). Hindwings The hindwing upper side has a black coloured marginal border. The hindwing underside has a snow-white coloured subbasal streak. There is an oblong spot of nopal red, which lies in a white band spotted with blue-ish grey near the cell and is covered with blue-ish grey scales on the other side. There is a red submarginal line, which reaches to the costa, the spcae between it and the margin from to costa to vein M3 is snow-white. The basal edge from the costa to the middel of the innermargin is powdered with a yellow colour (Pequin, 2021).
Female
Forewing length (mm): 26 (Joicey and Talbot, 1922).
The females generally have a different underside wing surface than the males, by being darker with broader margins on both wings (D'Abrera, 1982). The forewing upper side has a greatly extended black ground-colour and has a creamy-white area for two-third of the inner margin. The hindwing has a white proximal half showing the colour of the underside through it. The forewing underside has a proximal straw-yellow area of the same size and shape as on the upper side. There is a subapical line of sex lemon-chrome spots, divided by veins (Pequin, 2021).
Subspecies and variation
Three subspecies are described (Pequin, 2021).