This burrowing rodent is recorded in west-central Argentina and the high Andes of Chile, in grasslands and dry scrub.
The back is pale brown to reddish gray, with dark wavy cross-lines that fade over a lighter center. Sparse white fur covers the feet, and a pale tail has a dark line of hairs along its middle.
The assessment describes it as a sedentary, subterranean herbivore. Its habitat varies with elevation from dry Andean foothill scrub to grassland.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.