This cotton rat occurs in western Ecuador and northwestern Peru. It has been collected in dry open areas and fields; field notes describe activity both by day and at night.
The dorsal coat is grizzled and varies regionally. Specimens from arid northwestern Peru were paler; reddish or yellowish fur around the nose and pale fur around the eyes are also described among South American cotton rats.
It has been collected in xeric and semiarid open habitats, fields, and secondary vegetation. Unpublished field notes describe activity by day and night and runways through grass or other low herbs.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.