The five-bar swordtail has a long and sword-like tail at vein 4 on the hindwing. On the upperside, the wings are white with a series of black stripes extending from the costa of the forewing. In the distal and basal areas, the inter-stripe space is yellowish green. The tornal area is greyish on the hindwing. On the underside, the forewing is marked as above, but the hindwing has its basal half green with black stripes and spots, and its distal half yellowish orange with small embedded black spots. The body is white in ground colour and yellowish orange dorso-laterally. There is also a lateral band of black spots, contiguous for most segments.