Rentapia hosii is a mid-size to moderately large toad. Because it is a toad with climbing capabilities, it is only seen when adults come to rivers for reproduction.

The fingers are long and end in adhesive pads. The skin is soft and dry.

Adult males 50–80 mm snout-vent length, females 90–105 mm.

The tadpoles of Rentapia hosii remain a mystery to us because we have not yet observed them in the field, despite the presence of breeding aggregations of adults. The image on this page shows a tadpole from a successful captive breeding. Like many other bufonid tadpoles, Pedostibes hosii tadpoles are quite small. This, combined with their sporadic breeding activities and potentially short larval period, may explain why they are difficult to spot in the wild. Additionally, they might prefer a specific microhabitat that we have not systematically searched yet. More research is needed.