R. daleswansoni is ranked as Vunerable on the Red List and to be found predominantly in cloud forests in the area of the northern Cordillera Central of the Colombian Andes between 1800 and 2000 m a.s.l.. There, they inhabit the wettest areas of the understorey that contain moderate leaf litter.
It is a relatively small species, since it reaches only up to 19 mm in size. The frog’s head and the front limbs are usually red or orange-red. The lower half of the back and ventral side, as well as the hind lims, are brownish with individual black spots. Its peculiarity are only four toes on the hind legs.