It is thought to have diverged from the northern grotto salamander (E. nerea) during the Late Miocene.

All three grotto salamanders are thought to descend from an ancestral surface-dwelling form.

It inhabits freshwater springs (as a juvenile), inland karsts, and caves.

[4] This is a troglobitic species that has evolved several troglomorphisms such as a pale coloration and reduced eyesight, much like E. spelaea.

Alongside E. spelaea and E. nerea, it is the only blind, troglobitic salamander that undergoes full metamorphosis.