The gastric brooding frog Rheobatrachus silus exhibits osteological and myological character states that set it apart from other Australopapuan leptodactylid frogs. A number of convergent features shared with aquatic frogs of other families have been detected. The descriptions reported here are at variance with a number of features previously reported in the literature. The recorded data support the concept of the erection of a separate subfamily Rheobatrachinae, for the species.