This species inhabits various wooded habitats, the vicinity of swamps and vernal pools. More tolerant to dry habitats than most salamanders, it can be found on rocky bluffs and slopes and wooded sand dunes. Adults are entirely terrestrial and usually found under surface objects or underground. This species breeds by larval development, and eggs are laid in forest depressions such as vernal pool basins and sometimes at the edges of permanent ponds, swamps, and slow-moving streams; in areas likely to be flooded by rainfall. Typical oviposition sites are bare mineral soil beneath the protective cover of leaf-litter, log, detritus, or rock.

This species occurs in the eastern United States of America from New Hampshire southward to northern Florida, west through southeastern New York to the Lake Michigan region, south to eastern Oklahoma, and into eastern Texas. It is absent from most of the Appalachian Mountains. This species occurs at elevations from sea level up to 335 m asl.

Conservation Actions In-Place
This species is listed as Threatened in the states of Massachusetts and Michigan, and as Protected in New Jersey (Green et al. 2014). It occurs in several protected areas.

Conservation Needed
Habitat protection is recommended, in particular, breeding vernal pools and adjacent wooded areas at a distance of up to at least 200-250 m. Additionally, it is recommended for regulatory and management agencies to increase efforts to minimize forest fragmentation.

Research Needed
Further research on this species' distribution, population size and trends is recommended.