Chimerella mariaelenae is a species of glassfrog that inhabits on the Andean slopes of eastern Ecuador and northeastern Peru,[3][4][5] possibly also in the adjacent Colombia.

[2] Chimerella mariaelenae is diagnosed from other species of the family Centrolenidae by the combination of the following characters:[2][5] (1) vomerine teeth absent; (2) bones white in preservative (unknown in life); (3) parietal peritoneum clear without guanophores in a bib-like fashion; guanophores covering on the pericardial, hepatic and visceral peritonea, except for the clear gall bladder; (4) color in preservative, dorsal and flank surfaces cream with many small dark lavender punctuations and scattered larger dark flecks; (5) webbing absent between fingers I and II, basal between fingers II and III, outer fingers III2½–2½IV; (6) webbing on feet I2–2½II2–3III2–3IV2b–1bV; (7) snout bluntly truncate in dorsal view and truncate in profile; notch in lower lip absent; nostrils elevated, indentation between the nostrils; loreal region concave; (8) dorsal skin shagreen; (9) no dermal folds on hands, forearms, feet, or tarsus; (10) humeral spine present in male holotype; (11) tympanum oriented posterolaterally with light dorsal inclination; tympanic annulus rather indistinct; supratympanic fold weak; (12) snout-vent length in male holotype 19.0 mm; females unknown; (13) prepollical spine not protruding externally; unpigmented nuptial excrescence Type I; (14) pair of large, round, flat tubercles on ventral surfaces of thighs below vent; other anal ornamentation absent, ventral skin granular and not enameled; (15) first finger longer than second, (16) liver apparently bulbous (but see Discussion); (17) eye diameter larger than width of disc on finger III; (18) iris grey in preservative; (19) melanophores absent on fingers and toes except for a few at the base of Toe V; (20) the advertisement call is unknown for this species.

The specific name of Chimerella mariaelenae is a noun in the genitive case and a patronym for María Elena Heredia, mother of one of the authors that described the species.

[2] Centrolene mariaelenae is known from several localities on montane forest on eastern Ecuador and northeastern Peru.

It inhabits in old secondary-growth and primary Low Montane Evergreen Forest.