It is found in the mountains of western Cameroon and into the Obudu Plateau in adjacent south-eastern Nigeria.

The dorsum varies in colouration: beige, yellow, grey, or chocolate brown, and bears many distinctly delimited black blotches.

Males have a large black nuptial pad on the thumb and dense spines in the throat.

[3] The male advertisement call is a brief and strong "dlouk", "hou", or "rrra".

[1] Astylosternus montanus is a common species, but it probably suffers from some habitat loss and deterioration, despite showing a degree of adaptability.