It is found in alluvial fans, a fan-shaped deposit of sediment built up by stream and debris flow, and river wash areas, and is associated with desert wash and desert scrub vegetation.

These beetles measure between 0.55 to 0.71 inches. Females are larger than males, are brown and wingless, and have enlarged abdomens and smaller legs.

It has dusty brown or whitish coloring, and brown and cream longitudinal stripes on the elytra, which are wing covers and back. Their antennae are clubbed and reddish brown. The clubbed ends have leaf-like plates that can be held together or fanned out to detect scents. For males, most of the body is covered in whitish scales, with much of the head, thorax and ventral surfaces covered with fine white hairs.

Females are always observed on the ground and are considered flightless. Males are reported to fly back and forth or crawl on the ground where a female beetle has been detected.

Males and females emerge as adults from underground burrows to breed sometime between late March and early June, and are most abundant in April and May. After mating, females return to their burrows or dig a new burrow and deposit eggs. The egg, larval and pupal life stages occur underground.