''Metaphatus ichnius'' is a

moth Moths are a group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not Butterfly, butterflies. They were previously classified as suborder Heterocera, but the group is Paraphyly, paraphyletic with respect to butterflies (s ...

of the family

Palaephatidae Palaephatoidea is a superfamily of insects in the order Lepidoptera with a single family, Palaephatidae with seven known genera. These "Gondwanaland moths" exhibit a disjunct distribution occurring mainly in South America (Davis, 1986), with fo ...

. It was described by Donald R. Davis in 1986."A New Family of Monotrysian Moths from Austral South America (Lepidoptera: Palaephatidae), with a Phylogenetic Review of the Monotrysia"
by Donald R. Davis. It is found in the temperate Andean forests of southern

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

, from Malleco Province south to Chiloe Island. The length of the forewings is 8.5–9 mm for males and 9–9.6 mm for females. Adults have dark brown forewings, irregularly streaked with heavy, sinuate, white to pale buff lines. They are on wing from December to February in one generation per year.

Etymology

The specific name is derived from Greek ''ichnion'' (meaning a small track or trail) and refers to the pale, sinuate streak on the forewing.

References

Moths described in 1986 Palaephatidae Taxa named by Donald R. Davis (entomologist) Endemic fauna of Chile {{Palaephatoidea-stub