This small shrew is recorded from the mountains of Honduras. The 2015 description was based on one adult female specimen.
The described specimen had brown fur with gray hair bases, broad forefeet, and long, broad claws. Its preserved coat may have faded.
The female found on 19 May 1995 in the Honduran mountains carried four embryos, reported as 5 by 4 millimetres. This documents one pregnancy in the species.
The 2015 description compared its skull and forefoot with shrews from other mountains. Detailed skull measurements and X-rays of the forefoot helped distinguish the Santa Bárbara animal as a separate species.
Its upper molars had red pigmentation on their tips and ridges, extending into some tooth basins. Tiny dental structures provided further identification characters.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
A 2011 public audit documented agriculture and forest loss above 1,800 metres in Santa Bárbara Mountain National Park, where the species was collected. It recommended restoring cleared forest and investigating agricultural land use.