Adult: Species description based on Savage (2002). A medium-sized foamfrog (males to 49 mm, females to 50 mm). Dorsal: The dorsal surface is brownish-grey with darker spots or lines. Individuals have a pair or up to six folds running laterally from the head to the rear of the body. The folds are sometimes lighter, darker, or of a simlar color to the rest of the dorsum. The thighs are barred. The upper lip has dark bars that sometimes extend to the below the mouth. Ventral: The ventral surface is white, except for the throat, which is black. Concealed surfaces: A white stripe is present on the rear surface of the thighs. Distinguishing characteristics: Males have no spines on the thumbs or the chest. Eye: The eye is golden.
Breeding season: Breeding is explosive near the beginning of the rainy season (Savage 2002). Tadpole: The tadpole body is oval, with a moderately long tail (Savage 2002). The body and tail are dark with some darker pigmentation (Savage 2002). The ventral surface is lighter (Savage 2002). Tadpoles can survive for quite a long time out of water (Valerio 1971).
Habitat: Lowland forest and open, grassy areas, including disturbed locations to 1150 m. Call: A short "whoop" (Fouquette 1960, Straughan and Heyer 1976). Type locality: Near Turbo, New Granada (Colombia) Diet: Leptodactylus poecilochilus consumes mostly arthropods (Savage 2002).