Tanaecia pelea has a grayish brown forewing with white V-shaped submaginal markings. The undersides of the wings are paler with a faint purple tinge, in males the underside of the hindwings have two separate, submarginal V-shaped black stripes, whereas in females these lines are joined.
Larva: Tanaecia pelea larvae are greenish yellow with black spines tipped with white covering their bodies. When the 5th instar, the caterpillar looks bigger because the thorns are very complex branching.
Pupa: The pupa Tanaecia pelea is light green with a series of golden spots, after 9 days the pupa darkens and on the night before eclosion the pupa shell becomes transparent.
