Adult: Species description based on Trueb (1984). An aquatic frog with a unique flattened body, stout arms and legs, small head, and pointed snout (females to 42 mm). Dorsal: The dorsal surface is dark grey. The skin of the dorsum is covered in small bumps. Ventral: The ventral surface is dingy yellow. Eye: The iris is light bronzy brown with black specks.
Tadpole: The body is rather flat (Trueb 1984). The tail sits quite high on the body of the tadpole (Trueb 1984). The tadpole is dark grey above and greyish-white below (Trueb 1984). See Trueb (1984) for excellent illustrations of the tadpole. Metamorph juvenile: Metamorphs are dark grey with a silvery white ventral surface (Trueb 1984).