This vole occurs in the Tian Shan. A Russian-language species account describes it in coniferous forests and mountain river settings. The Mammal Diversity Database currently lists Clethrionomys centralis; some literature uses Myodes centralis.
The upper fur is dark gray-brown with a faint reddish tinge. The tail is distinctly two-colored.
It is characteristic of coniferous forest and avoids open, park-like areas within that forest. It is also recorded among rocky scree and in shrubs or forest beside mountain rivers.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.