[3] The limestone salamander occurs only in the Lower Merced River drainage, in several disparate localities, at elevations of 300–760 m in inhabits canyon slopes that are greater than 35 degrees.

[1][4] Habitats include moss-covered limestones outcroppings, chaparral, under rocks and logs in moist environments.

[1] The limestone salamander is classified as near threatened by the IUCN, mostly because it is known from fewer than five locations (where the species appears to be uncommon but not rare).

A proposed gold operation mine in Hell Hollow is thought to be the most immediate threat, in addition to general habitat loss due to construction of highways, quarries and dams.

[1] A portion of the Merced River Canyon is protected by the State of California and managed by the State Department of Fish and Wildlife as the Limestone Salamander Ecological Reserve (~120 acres); a further 1,600 acres have been designated as the Limestone Salamander Area of Critical Environmental Concern.