A closely related, perhaps undescribed species might exist in Colombia.^[3][9] Alexander G. Ruthven believed Atelopus ignescens to be the closest relative of the Guajira stubfoot toad (Atelopus carrikeri).^[10] Later studies have indicated that its closest relative is an undescribed species from central Ecuador (Bolívar and Chimborazo Provinces).^[4]

Males measure on 34–41 mm (1.3–1.6 in) and females 36–48 mm (1.4–1.9 in) in snout–vent length. The body is robust with long limbs and truncate snout. The dorsal coloration is uniformly black, as is the iris. The ventral side is orange-red; the belly is lighter in color, suffused with yellow.^[8]

With the last recorded sighting dating to 1988, the species was thought to be extinct until early 2016, when a relict population was discovered in an undisclosed location.^[5]

Atelopus ignescens was formerly abundant along streams, rivers and ponds of the páramo surrounding the Ecuadorian capital city of Quito. The species started to decline in the 1980s, probably due to the chytridiomycosis that ravaged other amphibian species around the world, and prior to its rediscovery had been listed as extinct by the IUCN. Other threats include habitat destruction, pollution, climate change, and invasive rainbow trout.^[1][5]