[3] The specific name echinata is derived from Latin echinatus, meaning "thorny", and refers to the spinose tubercles on top of the snout and on the sides.

[1] Ansonia echinata is endemic to Malaysian Borneo where it is only known from its type locality, Bukit Kana, a small and isolated hill in Bintulu Division, Sarawak.

The snout, sides, and limbs bear tubercles with small black spines (the ones that have given the species its name).

Based on morphological and ecological differences, they conclude that the two are separate species, although lack of tissue samples from A. echinata means that this question could not be settled with molecular methods.

[1] The type series was collected near a small stream (3 metre in width) in primary rain forest at about 250 m (820 ft) above sea level.