Genetic studies in the early 2000s refuted that placement and genus Geocerthia was created for it.

[3][4] The striated earthcreeper has two subspecies, the nominate G. s. serrana (Taczanowski, 1875) and G. s. huancavelicae (Morrison, ARG, 1938).

Their crown is dusky brown with narrow whitish buff streaks on the forehead.

Juveniles have a scaled appearance on their breast and faint bars on their upper belly.

It mostly occurs in arid montane scrublands, on rocky slopes with bushes, and in Polylepis woodlands.

[1] Little is known about the striated earthcreeper's diet though arthropods appear to be its major component.

It does most of its foraging on the ground by probing, gleaning, and flicking aside leaf litter.

One publication described the striated earthcreeper's song as "a harsh slowing trill introduced by 3 notes, the 1st longest, keep kip kip trrrrrrrrr-r-r r, lasting c. 4 s" and its call as "a single, drawn-out, somewhat wheezy weeeee".