Megascapheus baileyi is a small pocket gopher. A 2025 taxonomic review includes 21 subspecies; the nominate subspecies is known only from its type locality at Sierra Blanca, Texas. Other subspecies occur in New Mexico and Mexico.
An adult female collected at Sierra Blanca in winter had pale buff to ochraceous upper fur with black-tipped hairs. The underside was buff to salmon, the area around the mouth dusky, and the feet whitish.
At Sierra Blanca, Texas, specimens were collected on an open, arid plain. The type and other specimens from the same locality were also taken near the railway station where the Texas Pacific and Southern Pacific met.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.