The Mammal Diversity Database currently lists this species as Typomys planifrons. A 1985 taxonomic study describes a black midline stripe that reaches the ears, with no stripes along the flanks. Specimens assigned to the species came from several forest settings in northern Sierra Leone.
The back is dark brown with a reddish cast. A single black stripe along the middle of the back usually ends at the level of the ears; there are no stripes along the flanks. The underside is dark gray with some reddish suffusion.
Five specimens assigned to the species came from three northern Sierra Leone sites in high-canopy semi-deciduous forest. The sites included a narrow riverine forest corridor, a lakeshore fringe and a moist ravine with dense understory.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.