Description

The female holotype measures 20 mm SVL. A conical papilla is present on the anterior quarter of the tongue. Head wider than long. Tympanum distinct, measuring just under half the diameter of the eye. Nostril equidistant from eye and tip of the snout. Interorbital space as broad as the upper eyelid. Limbs are short. Tibiotarsal articulation reaching the axilla, with the 4th toe extending beyond the tip of the snout. Fingertips barely dilated, without discs. Finger I shorter than Finger II. Toes free, slightly swollen at the tip but without actual discs. Sub-articular tubercles rather large, very prominent. Inner metatarsal tubercle is large, oval, very prominent, as long as the inner toe, and warty. Skin granular, dotted with small warts on the back, snout, and tibia. Posterior half of the posterior belly and thighs are covered with warts, while the throat, chest, and ventral surfaces of the tibia and tarsi are smooth. Males have thin spines along the inner edge of Fingers II and III, and a small disc of skin in the gular region (Angel 1950).

The reddish brown coloration resembles that of Arthroleptis poecilonotus; markings may or may not be present, and may consist of a triangular patch followed by two diamonds, with the posterior diamond being the larger of the two. The legs have traces of transverse bands. Throat, chest, and anterior belly are mottled with reddish brown. A thin white vertebral stripe, from snout to vent, may be present (Angel 1950).

Further research and field work needs to be done to determine the status of this species (Stuart et al 2008).