It is found in broad valleys, rolling plains and grassy meadows. It can be found also in pine-oak forests, mesquite-grassland areas and even in rocky outcrops or areas of old lava flows. It can be found in disturbed habitat with suitable rocky refuges close to agricultural fields. It is a viviparous species.

This species is endemic to Mexico, where it is distributed in the southern portion of the Mexican Plateau, from west-central Veracruz, westward across central Puebla, Distrito Federal, northern Michoacan, southwestern Queretaro, Hidalgo, southern Guanajuato, central and eastern Jalisco and southern Zacatecas and Aguascalientes. It occurs between 1,450 and 2,600 m asl.

It is present in the Parque Nacional El Chico, Hidalgo. There is a need to establish protected areas where good populations of this species remain. Further research is needed into the ecology of this species.