[1][3] Common name Efulen forest treefrog has been coined for it (part of the type series originated from Efulan).

[3][4] Leptopelis calcaratus was described by the Belgian-British zoologist George Albert Boulenger in 1906 based on a specimen collected from "Efulen" in Cameroon (holotype), with additional specimens from "Cape St. John and the Rio Benito District" in Equatorial Guinea; he had previously identified the latter as Leptopelis rufus.

[2][3] Subspecies Leptopelis calcaratus meridionalis from south of the Congo River was described by Raymond Laurent in 1973.

[4][5] Leptopelis calcaratus is an arboreal frog found in lowland and montane rainforests at elevations from near sea level to 1,500 m (4,900 ft) above sea level, possibly higher.

If similar to other species of Leptopelis, it would lay eggs in a nest on the ground near water.