[3][4] The specific name is taken from the Latin words venter ("belly"), and flavus ("yellow"), referring to the coloration of the species' ventral surfaces.

[3] Specimens of the species were discovered in October 2012, during a survey conducted for the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute.

The population was described as a new species, separate from the nearby Telmatobius intermedius and T. rimac, in the journal ZooKeys in February 2015.

The sides are tan yellow, fading into golden-yellow or marigold on the throat and belly with depigmented areas on the chest.

The construction of pipelines and roads are also a threat, as is water contamination stemming from nearby mining and agriculture.

[3] The species has also been observed to be infected with the pathogenic chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, which causes the disease chytridiomycosis.