[3] The upper parts of the head, back, rump, and limbs are a dark gray to black color, with gray-tipped hairs.

The sides of the body, the cheeks, and the eyebrows are a yellowish color, and the underside is white.

This species is found west of the Andes Mountains in Ecuador, Colombia, and Panama.

Either this species or the northern four-eyed opossum occurs in Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica but more surveying is needed in these regions.

[9] The holotype is from the town of Paramba, along the Río Mira, in northern Ecuador.