[2] It is found in freshwater streams and ponds in many parts of North America.

It occurs in both ponds and streams, and there is evidence of a notable migration upstream in the spring.

However, there is a high level of mortality in some stream habitats which tend to run dry in summer.

E. punctata is a hermaphrodite, and courtship involves two individuals stimulating each other by contact.

The difference in strategies are hypothesized as being due to the interspecific competition in Jail Pond.