 The first description was published by G. M. Allen in 1933.The specimen described was obtained by Philip Darlington in northern Queensland, another member of a work group for the American Museum of Comparative Zoology, the Harvard Australian Expedition (1931–1932) led by William M. Wheeler

The fur over the back and front is a dark shade of rich brown or brownish red, nearly uniform in colour overall, the population in Tasmania may be very dark to black.The hair of this larger species is coarse and long.