[1] The Nilgiri marten was described by Thomas Horsfield based on a skin in the museum of the East India Company; it is named after the collector Reynolds Gwatkins.

[2] The Nilgiri marten is deep brown from head to rump, with the forequarters being almost reddish, with a bright throat ranging in colour from yellow to orange.

[4]: 6 The Nilgiri marten mainly inhabits the shola grasslands and South Western Ghats montane rain forests, and occasionally the adjacent South Western Ghats moist deciduous forests and commercial plantations, that span the Western Ghats in the South Indian states of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

The Nilgiri Hills form the center of its range, but sightings have also been reported in Charmadi Ghat and in the Neyyar and Peppara Wildlife Sanctuaries.

It is omnivorous and preys on birds, small mammals (including the Malabar giant squirrel) and insects such as cicadas.