This species is associated with streams, ponds, swamps, puddles and lakes in moist forest, and has also been observed in unforested areas such as flooded rice fields (Anderson 1871, Sparreboom 2014). The terrestrial habitat is largely moist forest, or sites where mountain forests previously existed, such as rice fields, tea plantations, meadows covering the shores of mountain ponds and lakes, forest edges, etc. The animals generally remain close to water. Aquatic habitats include various freshwaters including permanent pools and forest streams, natural and artificial ponds, rain puddles and swamps. Breeding occurs in the shallow areas of these water bodies, where the females deposit eggs on the submerged foliage of aquatic plants (Sparreboom 2014), directly onto the bottom of a pond, or rarely on land. Reproduction starts soon after the adult emerges from hibernation, which coincides with the start of the monsoon season (late March – early April). Males enter the breeding pond first and may stay longer than females, resulting in seasonal fluctuations in sex ratio. Spawning occurs from March to May, and may continue throughout the rainy season. Females leave the water soon after laying eggs. 

It feeds on aquatic and terrestrial insects, bivalves, cannibalized eggs of T. verrucosus and plant material.

This species was previously believed to be much more widespread, however, subpopulations in India, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Thailand, Lao People's Democratic Republic and Viet Nam have since been recognized as separate species (Tylototriton panhai and T. uyenoi - Nishikawa et al. 2013, T. shanorum - Nishikawa et al. 2014, T. himalayanus - Khatiwada et al. 2015, Le et al. 2015, T. podichthys - Phimmachak et al. 2015). It is now known with certainty only from approximately 1,500-1,600 m asl in western Yunnan Province, southern China (Anderson 1871, Nussbaum et al. 1995, Fei et al. 2012). This may not represent the actual limits of the species' range; similar habitat and elevations to those in the species' known locality extend into some adjacent areas including small sections of Shan and Kachin States, northeastern Myanmar. There is some uncertainty surrounding subpopulations that were previously assigned or linked to this species in northeastern Myanmar, and further research is required to confirm their identity. For the purposes of this assessment, they are coded as 'Presence Uncertain' and excluded from the extent of occurrence (EOO) calculation. Its estimated EOO is 20,995 km².

Conservation Actions In-Place
This species is protected by Chinese Law (Sparreboom et al. 2014) and parts of its predicted range lie within Ruilijiangliuyu and Tongbiguan Nature Reserves. The species or its habitat is protected by legislation in China. It is also on the "List of Beneficial or of Important Economic or Scientific Value Terrestrial Wild Animals under States Protection", under the protection of the "Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Wildlife", which provides a moderate degree of protection and makes it illegal to collect (China Red List Assessment Workshop June 2019). This species is listed in CITES Appendix II.

Conservation Needed
Further habitat protection is required, and harvest and trade management is also recommended.

Research Needed
Addressing the lack of data is the first step towards ensuring this species' survival; further research on its abundance, distribution, life history, harvest rates and threats would inform conservation decisions. Population monitoring is recommended.