It is often associated with moist habitats, deciduous and evergreen forest and near water in arid regions (Davis 1968). In Venezuela, it makes use of open areas and man-made clearings and seems less tolerant of arid habitats than U. bilobatum (Handley 1976). This bat roosts under palm fronds or banana leaves or other large leaves of palms (i.e. Astrocaryum sp.). It often bites through the ribs of fronds and cause the leaf to collapse on itself, thereby providing a shelter (Eisenberg 1989). One tent was occupied by five bats (Timm 1987). Females roost in colonies when they bear their young, and the sexes tend to roost separately during the rearing season. In Panama young are born from February through April (Wilson 1979). It is strongly frugivorous but include insects in the diet (Goodwin and Greenhall 1961). Several individuals caught were dusted with pollen, presumably after feeding on nectar or flower parts (Gardner 1977).

This species ranges from Michoacan, Mexico, south through the Isthmus to central Brazil. It generally occurs below 1,000 m asl, most specimens being taken at below 800 m asl (Eisenberg 1989, Reid 1997). It is found in southern Venezuela and Guyana, but there are no records from French Guiana or Suriname (Lim and Patterson pers. comm.). There are also no records for Costa Rica (Bernal Rodrigues and Pineda pers. comm.).

It is found in protected areas in Mexico.