The Hova rice tenrec occurs in Madagascar. In the 1996 Marojejy survey, adults were collected in lowland forest and montane mossy forest.
It has well-developed forelimbs and long claws, with small eyes and ears. Many individuals have different brown-to-tan shades on the back and underside; some populations also include pale individuals.
During the 1996 survey of Marojejy, Madagascar, an adult female and an adult male were collected in lowland forest, and another adult male in montane mossy forest. The lowland specimens are FMNH 159577 and 159695; the montane specimen is 159578. The paper records the lowland locality at 450m and the montane locality at 1,625m.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.