This is a slender-bodied and elegant anuran amphibian characterized by its elongated profile and a snout-vent length ranging between 35 and 53 millimeters, displaying a subtle sexual dimorphism where females are typically slightly larger than males. It features a distinctly pointed and prominent snout when viewed from above or in profile. Its dorsal coloration is predominantly grayish-brown to olive-brown, decorated with a striking pattern of longitudinal light and dark stripes. A very thin, bright white or yellow vertebral line runs continuously from the tip of the snout to the vent, flanked by dark brown or black longitudinal stripes. Well-defined, pale dorsolateral glandular folds run parallel along the sides of the body. Its hind limbs are remarkably long and slender, optimized for jumping, and marked with dark transverse bars. The toes lack significant webbing, highlighting its terrestrial habits.

Geographical distribution: This species is widely distributed across the southern cone of South America. Its range encompasses almost the entirety of Uruguay and Paraguay, as well as the central and northern regions of Argentina, including provinces such as Buenos Aires, Córdoba, Entre Ríos, Corrientes, Santa Fe, Chaco, and Formosa. In Brazil, it is found throughout the southern and southeastern states, specifically Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, Paraná, São Paulo, and southern Minas Gerais.

Habitat: It primarily inhabits open grasslands, savannas, flooded plains, and humid prairies typical of the Pampas and Chaco ecoregions. This species is highly adapted to temperate and subtropical environments and exhibits a strong tolerance to human-modified habitats, such as agricultural fields, cattle pastures, roadside drainage ditches, and suburban parks. It avoids dense, closed-canopy forests, preferring open areas with clayey or sandy soils that allow for burrowing and the temporary accumulation of rainwater.

Feeding: It is an opportunistic and generalist predator, feeding on a wide variety of terrestrial arthropods captured actively during its nocturnal excursions. Its primary prey items include beetles, ants, grasshoppers, flies, and spiders. It employs a sit-and-wait foraging strategy, combined with active visual hunting, using its sticky, bifid tongue to swiftly secure moving prey from the ground or low vegetation.

Behavior: It exhibits nocturnal and crepuscular habits, remaining concealed during daylight hours beneath logs, rocks, or buried within small subterranean cavities to prevent desiccation. During the rainy season, which coincides with the warmer spring and summer months, males of Leptodactylus gracilis produce a highly characteristic advertising call consisting of a short, high-pitched whistle resembling dripping water, emitted from deep within dense grass clumps or from the entrance of their underground burrows.

Reproduction: The reproductive cycle is highly seasonal and intimately linked to heavy spring and summer rainfall events. The male excavates a small chamber or tunnel in the damp soil near the margins of temporary ponds. Within this subterranean cavity, the pair amplexes and constructs a unique foam nest whipped up using the female´s hind legs, which protects the eggs from dehydration and terrestrial predators. Once heavy rains flood these underground chambers, the foam dissolves, releasing the dark brown tadpoles into the adjacent temporary pools where they undergo rapid development.

Conservation status: It is currently classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List. This status is justified by its vast geographical distribution, large and stable overall population, and remarkable tolerance to agricultural and urban landscapes. While there are no major threats facing the species as a whole, localized populations may experience declines due to extreme habitat fragmentation caused by intensive agriculture and the heavy use of chemical pesticides.