In November 2015 a wildlife ranger (Hikuna Judge) from the Zaira Conservation Area, saw something (outside the conservation area): "a large rat, [falling] from a 10m tree felled by loggers. The fall killed the rat - but the ranger shipped it to the Queensland Museum, in Australia, where ... Lavery was a fellow". Tyrone Lavery and Hikuna Judge published a species description, in 2017.