This frog was originally proposed to be a member of the genus Discoglossus, but further genetic and morphological assessment after the rediscovery of the species led to a reassignment to Latonia, for which no other living examples are known.[8] Other members of Latonia are known from the fossil record to have lived as recently as ~1 million years ago.[8][9] However, based on phylogenetic analysis, it was estimated that the last common ancestor of Latonia and its closest related genus, Discoglossus, lived approximately 32 million years ago.[8] On this basis, the Hula painted frog has been labeled a living fossil, the only extant representative of an ancient genetic split.[8][3][4]