This form was described in 1929 from Hinchinbrook Island. The original account describes a brownish-cinnamon back and a tail shorter than the head and body. Tate’s 1951 account reports nests raised among grass stems.
The original account describes soft, fine, brownish-cinnamon dorsal fur. Ventral hairs have pale-grey bases and light pinkish-cinnamon tips. The tail is brown above and yellowish below, and was reported shorter than the head and body in preserved adults.
Tate’s 1951 account under M. lutillus insulae describes circular nests about 5 inches across, built above the ground among stems of “bladey” grass.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.