The sides of the head and body are black in color, bordered with a brown stripe on top and a white on the bottom.

A. zaparo most closely resembles A. bilinguis, which is moderately toxic, rather than other frogs in the area with more potent chemical defenses.

Scientists believe this is because animals that attempt to prey on moderately toxic frogs learn exactly they looks like rather than developing a more generalized aversion.

[4] Scientists named this frog zaparo for the Sápara people who live in eastern Ecuador.

[5] This species was treated in genus Epipedobates until phylogenetic analysis justified its transfer to Allobates.

In places, it is threatened by habitat loss and deforestation in favor of agriculture, livestock cultivation, and the construction of roads for oil extraction.