This species is terrestrial, inhabiting tropical deciduous forests and secondary forest with abundant leaf-litter coverage. In Belize and Mexico, it occurs in tropical semi deciduous forest. It occurs in cacao groves and has been recorded in pastureland (Urbina-Cardona et al. 2006). It has sometimes been observed in large choruses (Farr et al. 2009). It is an explosive breeder (Kaiser 2008), and breeds in temporary ponds by larval development.

This species can be found in the Atlantic slope of Mexico, from southern Tamaulipas (Mexico) through northern Guatemala and Belize to north-central Honduras on the Atlantic versant, between 0-350 m asl. New records in Mexico have included the first record for Ocampo municipality (Farr et al. 2009), Oaxaca State (Ramírez-González et al. 2014), as well as, additional records from Veracruz and Chiapas. It occurs in isolated and disjunct subpopulations throughout its range (Farr et al. 2009), and there is an isolated population in Sian Kaan Biosphere Reserve in the Yucatán Peninsula. It is expected to occur in adjacent municipalities (Altamira, El Mante, Gonzalez, Nuevo Morelos, and Tampico) in Mexico, both between and south of known localities in the country (Farr et al. 2009).

This species occurs in several protected areas throughout much of its range including Los Tuxtlas Biosphere Reserve (Urbina-Cardona et al. 2006) and Calakmul Biosphere Reserve (Colston et al. 2015). It is protected by Mexican law under the "Special Protection" category (Pr).