Although widely distributed around the entire coastline of Britain and Ireland, it is not confined to coastal habitats. It has been recorded up to 12km inland deep inside limestone caves and mines, and on the summits of limestone mountains.

 

None-the-less, it is typically found in the supralittoral zone associated with coastal erosion banks, sparsely vegetated shingle or salt marsh strandline. Here it tends to occur several centimetres below the surface, where damp peaty soil occurs and most easily collected by turning large partly embedded stones. It is often found with Haplophthalmus mengii.