Barbour's rock mouse occurs in arid northwestern South Africa and is nocturnal. Its short, bicoloured tail is one feature used to distinguish it from a similar species.
Compared with P. collinus, it has a shorter, bicoloured tail, a smaller skull, and a shorter snout (rostrum).
It is nocturnal and solitary, living among rocky areas of succulent shrubland. It is mainly granivorous, feeding chiefly on seeds.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.