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A medium-size (3.0-3.4 cm wingspan) moth, varying in color from dark brown through lighter browns to fawn-yellow. Normal lines and spots, including the claviform, weakly developed and defined by a mix of light and dark scales. The antemedian and postmedian lines doubled, with the postmedian line often appearing "beaded". The forewings are characteristically paler in the central and posterior portions than along the costa and outer margins, and often have a coppery or tan cast. The hindwings are white in males with variable extent of smoky brown along the margin, the veins and the discal dot; females similar but usually with darker scaling on the veins. Males can be identified by the following genital characteristics: asymmetrical harpes (left about 3/4 the length of the right) and stout saccular extensions that taper abruptly near the apex. Euxoa atomaris belongs to the subgenus Pleonectopoda, characterized by the prominent twist or subbasal coil in the vesica of the male. There are no characters that can be used to identify females as members of the subgenus. Keys to the subgenus and species are presented in Lafontaine, 1987.