Adult: Species description based on Walls (1994). A small poison frog (20-22 mm). Dorsal: The dorsum is olive brown. The dorsum, upper surfaces of the hind limbs, and lateral surfaces are black with scattered large white or yellow spots.
Egg: Females lay clutches of 4-8 eggs inside bromeliads (Walls 1994). In captivity, hatching begins after 14 days (Walls 1994). Tadpole: Newly hatched tadpoles are grey, with a flattened head and a thin tail with low tail fins (Walls 1994). The tadpole mouth is surrounded by large papillae and contains one upper and one lower row of teeth (Walls 1994). Walls (1994) suggested tadpoles may require nutritive eggs to survive.
Habitat: Lowland to montane forest to 1120 m. Type locality: in cloud forest at 1120 m. elevation on the continental divide above the upper Quebrada de Arena, at longitude 82° 12′ 31" W, on the border between the provinces of Chiriquí and Bocas del Toro, Panama