[5] It was described in 1841 by the entomologist William Sharp Macleay, who named the species in honour of his friend and fellow naturalist James Stuart, who had discovered the animal at Spring Cove (North Head) in 1837 while working as surgeon in charge of the Quarantine Station.

[6] The brown antechinus is mostly nocturnal and is arboreal, and females build large communal nests shared by many individuals.

Like all antechinuses, the males die after their first breeding season (which lasts two weeks) as a result of stress and exhaustion.

[8] The brown antechinus is found east of the Great Dividing Range in Australia, from southeastern Queensland to around Kioloa, New South Wales.

[5] It is mostly found in forested habitats,[5] with dense lower ground cover and low fire frequency.