This rodent is recorded in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in northern Colombia and extreme northwestern Venezuela. Its back is dark brown, finely flecked with ochre and black, and its underside is tawny. HMW reports it from montane forest in the Santa Marta region.
HMW describes dark-brown upperparts finely grizzled with ochreous and black, with a mid-dorsal band darker than the sides. The underside is tawny; gray underfur may show through. The ears are black and the tail is nearly naked.
HMW gives montane forest restricted to the Santa Marta region as the habitat, at 1,000–2,500 m.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.