It is characterised by its prominent black "mask" extending from the tip of its snout through the eye and tympanum. A light middorsal stripe is often, but not always, seen in this species. It is medium-sized. The colour is generally brown, but may vary from various shades from olive green to almost black.
Tadoples of species which have sympatric ranges but segregate spatially in different habitat turn out to be competitive equals, as with wood and leopard frogs in North America.