Hindwing: terminal half or more dark brown, with an inner postdiscal and an outer subterminal series of more or less lunular spots of the ochraceous ground colour; the postdiscal series consists of only four spots in interspaces 1 to 4, the subterminal series is complete to interspace 7, the spots larger, that in inter-apace 3 elongate, outwardly conical; tail tipped with ochraceous.

Forewing: cell and basal area with a number of irregular cinnamon-brown spots, followed on the terminal half by three transverse series of more or less irregular and incomplete lunular cinnamon-brown markings and a narrow brown terminal edging.

[1] Ground colour paler, base and cell of forewing on upperside shaded with bright very pale cinnamon; markings similar both on the upper and under sides, but less clearly defined; the costal margin of forewing on the upperside ochraceous almost to apex, not brown; the subterminal series of ochraceous lunules on the upperside of the hindwing very large, separated from one another only by the brown along the veins.

[1] Karl Jordan in Seitz (page 91, 92) provides a description differentiating payeni from nearby taxa and discussing some forms.

[2] The butterfly is found in India from Sikkim to Assam, north Burma and Peninsular Malaysia.