Commanders are generally found in forested regions having moderate to heavy rainfall.
   They usually stay at low elevations, up to 900 metres.
   They are fond of open glades, roadsides and forests clearings. They are plentiful along watercourses in dry and moist deciduous forests.
   They are also found close to villages or wherever its larval host plant "Mussaenda frondosa" is found.    They are most common in the post monsoon months and winter.
   Commanders have a swift flight with rapid wingbeats and alternating spurts of smooth gliding.     A powerful flier, they generally fly for short distances at a time.
   Being cautious, they maintain their distance and are best caught when engrossed in mud-puddling or feeding from flowers. They generally visit flowers from low lying herbs to high up in the trees.
   Though they are a puddling species, in Borneo and probably elsewhere, adults avoid carrion and don't drink liquid from old fruit.
    The Commander can often be spotted basking with its wings pressed flat on exposed stones in streambeds.
   Individuals settle down on an exposed perch high up in the trees during the heat of the day. At this time they can be seen defending their territory and driving away intruding butterflies.
    Commanders are relatively large butterflies with wingspan of 6 to 7.5 cm. The dorsal sides of their wings are a bright reddish brown. Towards the centre of the wing are broad white spots. In flight, they appear as a bright red brown butterfly with a white band forming a V shape.
   There are also a few white spots scattered on the wings. The hindwings have crenulated margins. The ventral sides of the wings are a whitish grey toward the base and have a row of dull reddish brown and a row of black spots along the margins.
   The male and female are very similar in appearance.