This species lives in lowland tropical forest, thorn forest and in disturbed habitat around villages. It is mainly terrestrial, living beneath surface debris on the forest floor and in the vicinity of caves or cenotes. It is also arboreal and is found in bromeliads (Wake 1987). These salamanders are tolerant of dry conditions compared to many other salamanders; one specimen was collected under an old railroad tie embedded in dust in a parking lot at the archaeological site at Chichen Itzá (Dundee and Scheibe 2000). It breeds by direct development and is not dependent upon water.

This species occurs in three areas in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico: south-central Campeche, southern Yucatán and southeastern Quintana Roo. There are a few specimens from northeastern Belize (Lee 1996, Dundee and Scheibe 2000, S. Rovito pers. comm. 2019); and from Parque Nacional Mirador in Petén, Guatemala (Guatemala Red List Assessment Workshop August 2019). It occurs at elevations below 500 m asl (Dundee and Scheibe 2000).

Conservation Actions In-Place
This species is found in the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve in Mexico, and Shipstern Nature Reserve and Fireburn Nature Reserve in Belize. This species is protected by Mexican law under the "Special Protection" category (Pr).

Conservation Needed
Broad habitat conservation and management is needed in order to prevent further habitat disturbance and degradation from occurring within the species range. Proactive, precautionary steps should be taken to detect the arrival of Bsal in Mesoamerica through the swabbing of both wild and imported salamanders, in addition to a total ban on the importation of non-native salamanders (Guatemala and Mexico Red List Assessment Workshops 2019).

Research Needed
Further research is needed to determine whether the species has a wider distribution range, and to determine its' population size and trends.