Although Habronattus mexicanus can be found in the same habitat as H. mataxus, the former is a habitat generalist while the latter is restricted to coastal locales. Griswold gives records of H. mexicanus from south Texas to Panama and throughout much of the Caribbean. He notes also that the species is found from sea level to an elevation of 8000 feet in a wide variety of natural as well as cultivated habitats. While western Habronattus occur in diverse habitats those of Northeastern North America are almost exclusively inhabitants of open areas and edges. George and Elizabeth Peckham, well known for their work on North American jumping spiders, also published accounts of many neotropical species including the original description of H. mexicanus. Although the Peckhams credit others, in particular Count Keyserling, for a portion of their observations most are based on their own fieldwork in Guatemala and Honduras.
Peckhams, 1896; Peckhams, 1909; Wikipedia – George and Elizabeth Peckham; Griswold, 1987