It is endemic to Goodenough Island at the eastern end of New Guinea where its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests.

It has a long muzzle, a naked snout, small rounded ears and a tail which lacks hair on its hind half.

[3] The black dorcopsis is known from a single location, Goodenough Island at the eastern end of Papua New Guinea where it has a total extent of occurrence of less than 100 square kilometres (39 sq mi).

[1] It spends most of the year in oak forests at altitudes of between 1,000 and 1,800 metres (3,300 and 5,900 ft) where there is little undergrowth but the ground is carpeted with mosses, lichens and ferns.

Although the black dorcopsis is common in suitable habitat, the overall population is declining and the IUCN lists its conservation status as being "Critically endangered".