The Granulated catfish is nocturnal predator of the Amazon Basin and Paran River basins and coastal drainages in Guyana and Suriname. These catfish or opportunistic feeders and will feed on a variety of foods including mussels and the fruits of Astrocaryum javar.
They are usually a brown colour with some darker spots over the body and fins. Adults are darker and the spotting fades from juvenile coloration. There are no scales, but the skin is thick and tough wish saw like plates along the side of the fish. Their eyes are very small in comparison to the rest of the fish and they have three simple pairs of barbels. They have a deeply forked tail.