Both sexes of the butterfly have tawny wings with veins marked with broad black bands.

[6] D. genutia is distributed throughout India,[1] Sri Lanka, Myanmar and extending to South-East Asia and Australia (except New Guinea).

[6] This butterfly occurs in scrub jungles, fallow land adjacent to habitation, dry and moist deciduous forests, preferring areas of moderate to heavy rainfall.

Also occurs in degraded hill slopes and ridges, both, bare or denuded, and, those covered with secondary growth.

The butterflies also congregate with other danaines to sip from the sap of Crotalaria, Heliotropium and other plants which provide the pyrrolizidine alkaloids which they sequester.

[3] A study in north-eastern India showed a preference to foraging on Crotalaria juncea compared to Bauhinia purpurea, Barleria cristata rosea and Nerium oleander.

[8] This butterfly lays its egg singly under the leaves of any of its host plants of family Asclepiadaceae.