This fossorial species lives in humid to dry soils beneath forest and plantation leaf-litter, logs, banana or coffee leaves and hulls, sugarcane debris, or similar ground cover. In El Salvador and Nicaragua, it is present in dry forest and savanna between sea level and 900 m asl (Köhler et al. 2006, Sunyer 2009). In Honduras, it is found in sandy habitats, urban park areas, and swampy forest areas (L. Herrera and J. Townsend pers. comm. March 2019). It is adaptable to secondary habitats, such as coffee plantations, but likely requires forest cover (S. Rovito pers. comm. October 2019). It is a viviparous species.

This species is found on the Atlantic slope of southeastern Mexico and disjunctive in eastern Guatemala and northwestern Honduras. It also occurs patchily on the Pacific slope from Oaxaca, Mexico, through Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras (including offshore islands in Isla del Tigre) to central Nicaragua. It ranges from near sea level to 2,000 m asl.

Conservation Actions In-Place
This species occurs in many protected areas. It is protected by Mexican law under the "Special Protection" category (Pr).

Conservation Needed
Protection and management of habitat is required.

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