It is endemic to Ayacucho Region in the Cordillera Oriental of central Peru and is only known from a few locations west of the Apurímac River.

[1][3] The specific name tothastes is a Greek noun meaning "one who scorns" and refers to the enigmatic position of the genus Truebella within the bufonids.

The arms are robust and the fingers are short, with slightly bulbous tips but no terminal discs; webbing is absent.

The toes have slightly bulbous tips but no terminal discs; webbing is thick and fleshy, barely discernible.

[2] Truebella tothastes occurs in leaf litter of riparian cloud forests at elevations of 2,200–2,440 m (7,220–8,010 ft) above sea level.