MORPHOLOGY
External characteristics
Male
Forewing length (mm): 30 (Joicey and Talbot, 1916).
Forewings: The forewing upper side has an extended black area. The forewing underside has an extended apical black and reduced costal streak. There are yellow apical spots (Pequin, 2021). Hindwings The hindwing underside has a yellow basal streak and a black coloured subbasal bar, inner margin and discal line. There is a red distal border, which invades the black. The inner margin is washed with some yellow near the base (Pequin, 2021).
Female
Forewing length (mm): 27 (Joicey and Talbot, 1916).
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 more extended black area in females. The hindwing upper side has a broad black outer margin. The forewing underside is for three-quarters washed with a pale yellow colour on the basal part of the cell. The hindwing underside has the whole inner and outer margin black coloured, the red line is better defined in females (Pequin, 2021).
Subspecies and variation
Two subspecies are described. Females of ssp. conspectirubra are very different from males; the hindwing has a much broader black margin on both the upper and under sides, and the distal patch on the hindwing has a pale dusting of yellow (Pequin, 2021).