There are dark spots arranged along three longitudinal bands of paler colour, pink, dull red or green.

[4] Malcolm's Ethiopian toad is endemic to the Bale Mountains of Ethiopia where it is found at elevations of between 3,200 and 4,000 metres (10,500 and 13,100 ft) above sea level.

At lower elevations it is found in grassy meadows besides streams but higher up on the mountain plateau it is present in forests composed of Astropanax, Hagenia and Hypericum and also on afromontane moorlands.

In the laboratory eggs have hatched after eleven days but in the field, at a lower temperature, this is likely to take longer.

[4] Although Malcolm's Ethiopian toad is common in some localities within its range, the population trend is believed to be downward.

The main threats faced by this toad are the degradation of its habitat through timber extraction, increased grazing of cattle and the development of settlements, although part of its range is within the Bale Mountains National Park which should offer some protection from human activities.