Physalaemus jordanensis is a small frog (SVL 24 mm in males) that belongs to the P. gracilis species group (Nascimento et al. 2005). Its body is elongated. Head narrow, snout pointed and rounded. Tympanum not well defined. Vomerine teeth absent, maxillary teeth present. Vocal sac well developed. Anterior members short. Dorsal color light brown with yellow vertebral. There is also a black inguinal gland. Venter with dense black pigments. The advertisement call is pulsed, with a call duration of 1.4-1.6 sec (Bokermann 1967).

The tadpole was described recently by Gomes et al. (2010). The body is ovoid and globular. Snout rounded. Dorsal fin origin at the body-tail junction. Oral disc antero-ventral, with a single row of marginal papillae. LTRF 2(2)/3(1). A detailed description of the buccopharyngeal morphology is available in Gomes et al. (2010).
 
A distribution map and a picture of an adult male can be found in Tolledo et al. (2009).