This vlei rat is known from Ethiopia’s Bale Mountains. Its records include a mosaic of forest, grass openings, moorland, open woodland, and bamboo.
The back is drab brown with two layers of fur; the underside is pale gray, and the ears are dark.
Records from the Bale Mountains came from a mosaic that included Juniperus forest, grassy openings, moorland, open woodland, and bamboo.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.