This species appears to be restricted to areas that are either higher in elevation or wetter than the surrounding areas, such as damp canyons surrounded by higher habitats. The type locality is a mesic canyon, within which individuals were collected from a deeply shaded slope containing deep leaf litter. Cover vegetation at this site included tanbark oak, coast live oak, sycamores, and laurel trees, as well as dense shrubs such as poison oak. A second recorded location was less heavily shaded, and contained a mixture of blue oaks and coast live oaks. Overall, this species is thought to prefer some degree of shade and deep leaf litter. Although some of its habitat has been modified for agriculture, plenty of habitat is thought to be available (Jockusch et al. 2001, Hansen and Wake 2005, Green et al. 2014). This species breeds by direct development, and eggs are laid during late autumn and winter and hatchlings emerge during winter and early spring (Kucera 2006, Adkins Giese et al. 2012).

This species is known from a restricted distribution in the southern Santa Lucia Range northeast of Estero Bay in San Luis Obispo County of central coastal California, USA. Its range spans from immediately north of the Black Mountain, south and east into the drainages of the Paso Robles and Santa Rita Creeks. Subpopulations found farther south and west of Atascadero and in the Cuesta Ridge Botanical Area have not been examined for DNA sequences or allozymes, but are tentatively assigned to this species and are therefore included in the range map. It occurs at elevations ranging from 300-640 m asl (Jockusch et al. 2001, Hansen and Wake 2005, Green et al. 2014, C. Evelyn pers. comm. August 2021). Its current estimated extent of occurrence (EOO) is 411 km².

Conservation Actions In-Place
All known occurrences of this species are on privately owned land. This species was proposed for listing under the Endangered Species Act in 2015, but is not currently listed. 

In an effort to prevent the introduction of Bsal into the US, an Interim Rule of the Lacey Act has been enacted that bans the importation of 201 species of salamanders (USFWS 2016). Additionally, a temporary voluntary trade moratorium of imports of Asian salamander species that are known to carry the disease until such time as effective testing and treatment regimens can be developed and distributed has been recommended to all exporters, shippers, sellers and buyers by the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (PIJAC). A North America Bsal Task Force has also been created, with working groups designed to address a variety of disease prevention and mitigation goals (North America Bsal Task Force 2021).

Conservation Needed
This species would likely benefit from improved habitat protection at sites where it is known to occur.

Research Needed
More information is needed on this species' distribution, population status, ecology, and threats.