It is endemic to eastern Guatemala and is only known from three localities in the Sierra de las Minas and Montañas del Mico ranges.

[1][3] The specific name panchoi honors Laurence Cooper "Don Pancho" Stuart [fr], an American herpetologist.

The throat, chest, belly and ventral surfaces of the limbs are pale yellow with scattered dark brown flecks.

[2] Atlantihyla panchoi inhabits moist tropical forests at elevations of 100–895 m (328–2,936 ft) above sea level.

It is threatened by habitat loss caused by expanding agriculture, wood extraction, and human settlement, as well as by water pollution and chytridiomycosis.