Endemic to the Tyrrhenian Sea basin, it is found in a handful of Western Mediterranean islands, namely Sardinia, Corsica, and the Tuscan Archipelago.

A species with high stakes in terms of conservation, it is very similar to the related Corsican painted frog, Discoglossus montalentii, with whom it shares part of its habitat in Corsica.

It still fragile and subject to several threats justifying strong conservation efforts in both France and Italy, where it is fully protected and part of Annex 2 of the Habitats Directive.

Not well known from the wider public, the Tyrrhenian painted frog figures among the emblematic species of several protected area, including the Port-Cros National Park in France.

[3] The Tyrrhenian painted frog is found in most parts of the islands of Corsica and Sardinia, but it is not present in the central highlands.

It is also present on several small islands in the Tyrrhenian Sea, such as Iles d'Hyères, Giglio, Montecristo, and the Monte Argentario peninsula in Tuscany.

Whether observations of this frog in the past were of D. sardus or D. montalentii is unclear, because they are so similar in appearance and were only recognised as different species in the late 20th century.