It is found in Honduras, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, and Nicaragua,[2][3][1] and has been collected every month of the year from a variety of altitudes ranging from 2500 to 9800 feet.

[1] The species plays dead when disturbed, which earned it the name "Durene Niño" in Costa Rica.

[1][5][4] In the 1877-'78 Annales de la Sociéte Entomologique de Belgique, such a demonstration is recorded on the July 6th meeting: “...Mr. J. Rodriguèz brought six examples from Guatemala, kept without food in a box during the since the month of April.

Three arrived in Europe still alive.”(French: M. J. Rodriguez vient d'en apporter de Guatemala six examplaires, demeurés sans nourriture dans un boîte depuis le mois d'Avril.

Light forms from Costa Rica were described by Champion in 1874 as Z. costaricensis,[6][1] which was synonymized nearly a century later in 1972.