This species can be found in deciduous tropical forest, shrubs, thorn forests and dry forests (Ceballos and Oliva 2005); and has been regarded as a lowland bat (Jones and Arroyo-Cabrales 1990). Individuals presumably spend the day in crevices within a cave (Sanborn 1951); a male from southeastern Brazil was found roosting in the attic of a house (Taddei and Garutti 1981). The diet is thought to consist mainly of soft-bodied insects as has been reported for related species of Nyctinomops. Alvarez (1963) recorded skulls of this species found in owl pellets.

Central and South America. The species distribution is poorly understood but is thought to have a disjunct population in South America. This species is found from Sonora and Tamaulipas to Oaxaca (Mexico), one record from Honduras (Espinal et al. 2016) but otherwise absent from Central America, then it is distributed in Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil (Simmons 2005, Eger 2008). There are no records from the Brazilian Amazon. Known altitudinal range is from sea level to 3,150 m; mostly known records are from below 1,000 m elevation (Jones and Arroyo-Cabrales 1990). Further work is needed to confirm the distribution of this species.

Basic research is required to confirm the range of this species, and habitat requirements on both ends of its distribution. Present in a number of protected areas in South America.