[2][3] It is endemic to southern Brazil and is known from the states of Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, and Paraná.

[3] The specific name cardosoi honors Adão José Cardoso, a Brazilian herpetologist.

A black or dark green stripe runs along the canthus rostralis; it can be narrow or broad and blot-like.

[2] The male advertisement call is loud, modulated, and variable, resembling the grunting of a pig.

[2] Pseudis cardosoi is strictly aquatic and typically occurs in permanent pasture ponds and still-water pools of slowly flowing creeks at elevations of 700–1,200 m (2,300–3,900 ft) above sea level.

The diet consists of mostly insects (mainly Diptera, Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, and Hemiptera) and plant matter.

Whether the plant matter is accidentally ingested or represents a supplementary source of nutrition is unknown.