This antbird inhabits the Atlantic Forest of eastern Brazil. Males are mainly black and white, females brown and buff, and crown spotting varies among birds.
Males have black upperparts with white spots and wing bars, and white underparts marked with black spots. In females, black areas are brown and white areas buff; crown spotting varies among individuals and regions.
It lives in moist lowland forest in eastern Brazil. A 2024 study describes it as endemic to the Atlantic Forest.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.