This large spiny rat is notable for its blunt muzzle and dark stripe down its back. It is often recorded in bamboo thickets and feeds on bamboo shoots and stem interiors.
Its muzzle is blunt, and its long, soft fur lacks spines. The grayish-olive back is streaked with black and has a dark stripe; the sides are paler and the underside has sparse white fur. Most of the tail is scaled and nearly naked, and four digits are externally visible on each forefoot.
In Acre, Brazil, observed animals were found in dense bamboo thickets. In Peru, observers recorded them stripping green bamboo stems and eating the inner surface.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.