The species is endemic to Madagascar[1][2] and occurs in the central and southern parts of the island.

What had been considered a northern population has been split off as a separate species, Mimophis occultus.

[2]Nota bene: A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Mimophis.

[4] The preferred natural habitats of M. mahfalensis are forest, savanna, and shrubland, and it has also been found in disturbed and artificial habitats.

[1] M. mahfalensis preys upon frogs, lizards, and snakes.