Boana xerophylla was described in 1841 as Hyla xerophylla. However, for decades in the 1900s, it was regarded as a synonym of Boana crepitans, until it was resurrected as a separate species in 2017. In 2021, the Boana xerophylla populations north of the Orinoco river were separated as a new species, Boana platanera. A population from Suriname has sometimes been called Boana fuentei, but it's currently classified as a synonym of Boana xerophylla.
