[1] Before the scientific description, this fish was referred to by the name Gymnogeophagus sp "San Borja".

It is found in Rio Negro in Uruguay and in the Tacuari River in the Laguna Mirim basin.

The largest specimens found had a standard length of 13 cm.

Gymnogeophagus tiraparae inhabits large rivers with clear water.

Gymnogeophagus tiraparae was named after a Guarani woman, Maria Luisa Tiraparae, who discovered the species in the vanished native town of San Borja del Yi, Uruguay.