The species' habitats include semi-arid lower mountain slopes, with growth of grass, saguaro cactus, paloverde, and ocotillo, and extends through chaparral and juniper into pine-oak belt in mountains (Stebbins 2003); desert, grassland, and montane forest habitats (Camper 1996), and often found along rocky streams. It is basically terrestrial but also climbs in vegetation.

This species' range extends from central Arizona to extreme southwestern New Mexico in the United States, south through western Mexico to Colima, with an eastward extension onto the Mexican Plateau in Jalisco, Aguascalientes, and Zacatecas (Camper and Dixon 1994, Camper 1996). It occurs in Isla Tiburón in the Gulf of California. Camper and Dixon regarded records from Isla San Pedro Martir, Coahuila, and Oaxaca as erroneous. Its elevational range extends to 2,300 m asl (Camper 1996).

Its range includes a few protected areas.