This manakin ranges from Central America to western South America. Males court in the forest understory; a 2025 study in northwestern Ecuador found all six sampled display sites in primary forest.
Males are deep velvety black over most of the head and body, with bright blue from the crown to the upper mantle. Females have green to bluish-green upperparts and a grayish-green face and throat.
Males perform butterfly-like courtship flights between horizontal perches in the understory. In a 2025 study in northwestern Ecuador, all six sampled male display sites were in primary forest.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.