It is endemic the Cordillera del Condor, in the upper Marañón River drainage, of Cajamarca Department, Perú.

[3] As per the type locality, its natural habitat is primary premontane forest between 600 and 1305 meters above sea level, especially those with plentiful cacti and terrestrial bromeliads.

This frog is largely diurnal and tends to be found near the bottoms and tops of cliffs, where they forage for food among the vegetation.

After they hatch, the male frog carries the tadpoles on his back to pools of water in other parts of the bromeliad.

It has also been collected for the international exotic animal trade, which caused its numbers to plummet during the 1990s due to demand for the frog as a terrarium pet.