The primary habitats for this fossorial species are lower montane and lowland forests, including streams and rivers. This species calls in large choruses in temporary pools following heavy rains (June–August) and breeding occurs in ephemeral pools (Brown et al. 2013). It is commonly found in disturbed habitats, such as agricultural land, rice paddies and gardens, adjacent to forested areas (A. Diesmos pers. comm. May 2017). It is known to occur at high abundances in disturbed habitats at many sites, provided that surveys are conducted at the beginning of the rainy season following heavy rains, when individuals emerge from the ground to breed (Brown et al. 2012).

This species is found in the mountains of the Central Cordilleras and Sierra Madres of northern Luzon Island, in the Philippines. It is restricted to elevations from 700–1,800 m asl in the Cordilleras, but has been found from sea level to 600 m asl in the Sierra Madres (Alcala and Brown 1998, Diesmos et al. 2014). This species is much more widely distributed than originally assumed (Brown et al. 2012).