[1][3] The specific name rainerguentheri honours Rainer Günther [fr], a German herpetologist from the Natural History Museum, Berlin.

The fingers and toes are unwebbed but bear discs with distinct circum-marginal grooves.

[2] Hylophorbus rainerguentheri in habits extremely wet, lower-montane rainforests at elevations of 1,100–1,830 m (3,610–6,000 ft) above sea level.

Males have been observed calling from the ground or from logs on the forest floor, or from more elevated positions (≤1.5 m (5 ft) above the ground), normally from inside dense clumps of moss on tree trunks or tree branches.

The type locality is a reasonably well-protected Wildlife Management Area, thanks to efforts to protect tree-kangaroos.