This small rodent occurs in the Andean highlands. Its back is orange-brown and its underside paler. It has a short tail and long hair on its feet.
In the High Andean lineage distinguished by the 2026 study, the back is pale orange-brown and the belly and sides are paler. The short tail is densely furred. Long hair covers the feet, with a short, dense fringe along their outer edges.
The southern group in Chile and Argentina is known from Puna highland grasslands and southern Andean steppe. Most records of this group lie at 3,000–4,000 m.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.