A 2015 taxonomic revision recognizes this mouse from Tungurahua in Ecuador to Huánuco in Peru. It proposed the more southerly Ancash and Lima populations as a separate species.
The revision describes it as a medium-sized leaf-eared mouse.
It is reported mainly from brushy habitats, with cited records from 200 to 4,800 m elevation.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.