[1][3] It is endemic to Tanzania and only known from a narrow alpine range on the middle slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro, within the East African montane moorlands ecoregion.

The lack of recent records is probably a reflection of very limited survey effort in the area since then.

There is a pronounced, light vertebral band, containing an inner pair of darker, somewhat irregular and discontinuous longitudinal stripes.

There is also a dark lateral line, running over the loreal region, continuing as a narrow strip below the eye, expanding behind the eye to cover the tympanic area, and continuing a very irregular dark band on the flanks.

It is presumably associated with cold mountain streams (where it probably breeds) in alpine African moorland.