This species inhabits primary montane wet forest, living on the ground and in low vegetation. It breeds by direct development (Hanken 1979). It is unlikely to be tolerant of much habitat disturbance.

This species is found in the humid lower montane areas on or near the Costa Rica-Panama border, on the Pacific versant of Costa Rica at 1,650-3,000 m asl, and the Atlantic and Pacific slopes of western Panama at 1,810-3,000 m asl. It is known to occur at Cerro Pando, Mount Totumas, Volcán Barú (Hertz et al. 2012, A. Hertz pers. comm. 2013), and Cerro Respingo (M. Ponce pers. comm. August 2019). It is unlikely to be found more widely, and is thought to be restricted to the area from which it is known (A. Batista pers. comm. August 2019, Costa Rica Red List Assessment Workshop September 2019). Its extent of occurrence (EOO) is 725 km², which represents three to five threat-defined locations.

Conservation Actions In-Place
It occurs in both sides of Parque Internacional La Amistad on the border of Costa Rica and Panama, and within Parque Nacional Volcán Barú and Reserva El Respingo in western Panama.

Conservation Needed
Improved management and enforcement of the boundaries of Parque Internacional La Amistad and Parque Nacional Volcán Barú is also needed to prevent illegal activities (Panama Red List Assessment Workshop August 2019). Proactive, precautionary steps should be taken to detect the arrival of Bsal in Costa Rica and/or Panama to establish a baseline by including the swabbing of salamanders encountered during routine amphibian monitoring activities (Panama and Costa Rica Red List Assessment Workshops 2019).

Research Needed
Research is needed on population trends and life history.