Platypedia mohavensis mohavensis is found over much of the western United States (known from Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah). It has been collected in Rocky Mountain forests, Mexican Highlands of the Sonoran Desert, intermountain woodlands, California forest, and chaparral ecosystems. It has been associated with scrub pine (Pinus spp.), juniper (Juniperus spp.), Russian thistle (Echinops exaltatus Schrader), serviceberry (Amelanchier spp.), and (to a lesser extent) rabbitbrush (Ericameria nauseosa). (Sanborn & Phillips 2013)
