The hands, feet, and underparts are grayish white. Individuals taken from near the coast and from an elevation of 1,800 meters seem to differ only slightly in color and thickness of fur. The whiskers are fairly long, and the tail is bushy. The skin is said to be extremely thin and easily torn. The digits of the hind feet have brushes of comblike bristles.
Females have two pairs of mammae.
The basic ecology is as given above in the family account. The genus has been recorded reliably in Ethiopia at elevations from sea level to 1,200 meters. Pectinator shelters in rock crevices, emerges shortly after sunset, often basks in the sun, and feeds only on vegetation. A whistling call was heard during the approach of a goshawk. The estrous cycle averages 22.7 days.