There are no shared Hylarana sensu lato species between the Western Ghats and Sri Lanka.

[5] The "small-sized" I. aurantiaca recovered from Sri Lanka was discovered to be a previously undescribed species, Indosylvirana serendipi.

The type locality of the species is in Trivandrum, and the holotype is preserved in the Natural History Museum (BM 1947.2.2.92 formerly 1903.9.26.1).

[citation needed] The back (dorsum) of the golden frog is smooth or very finely granulated.

A narrow but prominent, bright yellow or gold-colored fold of skin runs from the back of the eye to the hind legs.

The underside of the frog is lighter in color than the back, ranging from pale yellow to white.

[citation needed] The hind limbs are also long and slender without distinct bars of color.

The toes are webbed three-quarters to two-thirds of the way, with the exception of the outer metatarsals, which may be separated almost to the base.

[13] Golden frogs are found in a wide variety of habitats, including lentic (lakes, ponds, and pools) and lotic (rivers, streams, or springs) ecosystems, evergreen forests and scrub, bamboo thickets, coastal areas, and rice paddies.

Adult golden frogs are commonly found on rocks or perched on leaves and twigs near bodies of water.

[13] They are endemic to the Western Ghats of India, restricted to the south of Palakkad Gap – Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam districts in the state of Kerala.

[15] From hatching to metamorphosis takes approximately 60 days, and they can be distinguished by observing dark bands on their hind limbs.

[14] When fully mature, the tadpoles resemble miniature yellow adult frogs with pinkish tails.