A Small Staff Sergeant drinking from a puddle of stagnant water in northern Vietnam. On the underside, the wings have a black and brown ground-colour, with a pattern of white and pale lilac streaks and spots. Above the wings of the male are brownish-black, with a single white bar that stretches across the wings but ends at the lower apex of the forewings, which each have two larger and one smaller, obliquely-placed white patches.

In addition the wing edges have a  double row of pale brownish patches, that –especially in the outer row– seems to form a continuous line.