This rodent occurs in forests in southern New Guinea and on nearby islands. The fur on its belly is white to the roots, and its natural history remains poorly known.
The handbook calls it the largest of three white-bellied Melomys, with head-and-body length up to 210 mm and mass of 100–200 g. The back ranges from sandy gray to dark brown, while belly fur is white to the roots.
The handbook suggests it may be semi-arboreal but says its natural history is poorly known. Two records describe animals caught foraging on an exposed reef at low tide; the food was not identified.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.