This species was first described by Alfred Philpott in 1927 using a male specimen collected by André Léon Tonnoir at Lake Brunner in December.

Antennae blackish-fuscous, ciliations in male 2 ½. Forewings, costa moderately arched, subsinuate, apex rounded, termen oblique; dark brownish-fuscous obscurely strigulated with ochreous; an undefined patch of paler ochreous on dorsum near base; a large spot of whitish-ochreous on dorsum beyond middle; fringes dark purplish-fuscous.

Hindwings and fringes dark fuscous with purplish sheen.

[2]This species is similar in appearance to M. strigulata but lacks the large dark dorsal patch on the wings of M.strigulata.

[1] This species has been observed in the West Coast and the Wellington regions and has also been collected at Homer.