In appearance, the Great Orange Tip is similar to the male, white-winged Yellow Orange Tip, i.e. a male Yellow Orange Tip in wet-season form (fig.), yet with some additional arrow-like, triangular black markings in the orange patch on the forewings. This one was spotted on a palm tree in a garden in Yangon. There are many subspecies, with the dominant species in Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore and Myanmar being Hebomoia glaucippe aturia.

The latter has a black border all around the orange patch on the upper forewings and a double row of black patches on the outer edges of the upper hind wings, that become increasingly diffuse and eventually disappear completely towards the inner apexes.