This water rat is known from only one specimen in northern Papua New Guinea. It was live-trapped in a local garden. The paper describes its coat and feet, but one capture cannot establish a broader habitat range or way of life.
In the only known specimen, the coat was short and glossy, dark brown with orange-buff tips. The lower cheeks, throat, and chin were dingy white. Its hindfeet were long and broad, with webbing between the middle toes.
The only known specimen was live-trapped in 1972 in a local garden near Bainyik, East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea. The garden is the recorded capture setting; habitat elsewhere and routine behavior have not been established.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.