[11] The species can be distinguished from Hochstetter's frog due to its smoother skin, longer digits, typically smaller size and lack of webbed toes on their hind feet.

[11] Reproduction is fully terrestrial; tadpoles develop within gelatinous egg capsules, and upon hatching, tailed froglets crawl onto the male's back and are carried around, and take several weeks to complete metamorphosis.

[12] Males are believed to be the primary care providers, and may prepare "nests" they guard for the eggs, secreting antimicrobial peptides onto them, to ensure successful embryonic development.

The species is found in two locations: the Coromandel Peninsula, and the Whareorino Forest near Te Kūiti, both areas of the Waikato Region of the North Island, New Zealand.

The species is categorised as Nationally Vulnerable under the New Zealand Threat Classification System[14] and as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List.

[19] Nonetheless, despite field observations suggesting that frogs were dying from other causes, New Zealand researchers continued to argue that the species was most at risk from chytridiomycosis and planned their management strategies primarily to mitigate threats from this disease.

[22] A captive-breeding programme was established at the University of Canterbury in 2002 to safeguard the species from disease,[23] and frogs successfully bred.

[24] The programme was transferred to Auckland Zoo in 2005, where over half of the frogs, including juveniles bred at the Canterbury facility, died.

[26] After 8 years of failed attempts to get the frogs to breed at Auckland Zoo, zookeepers claimed "a massive and internationally important victory".