This species occurs on the western slope of the Cordillera Occidental in Colombia and northern Ecuador. Its altitudinal range is 1,200-1,800m asl. It is likely to be more continuously distributed between the known localities
Habitat and Ecology
This is a subterranean species, found in old growth and disturbed evergreen submontane forest and cloud forest.
There is no information on its population status.
Deforestation as a result of expanding agriculture is a potential threat to it, but there is not enough information available to confirm this.
It occurs in several protected areas, such as the Reserva Natural La Planada in Colombia, and the Reserva Ecológica Los Illinizas in Ecuador. It is in need of taxonomic review (Wilkinson pers. comm.).
The taxonomic status of this species is unclear. Not all known populations necessarily belong to the same species, and some populations might be conspecific with Caecilia isthmica (Lynch 1999).
John Lynch, Fernando Castro, Diego Cisneros-Heredia, Mark Wilkinson 2004. Caecilia guntheri. In: IUCN 2014