It is native to the Paraguay River basin of south-central Brazil (mainly Pantanal region), Paraguay and northeast Argentina, but there are also populations in the upper Paraná and Paraíba do Sul Rivers that likely were introduced.

[4] The black widow tetra is a shoaling fish that feeds on small crustaceans, insects, and worms.

[3] The black skirt tetra is a common fish that is widely available for purchase.

[citation needed] The species reaches sexual maturity at about two years of age.

Like most characins, this species spawns by intermittently releasing and fertilizing eggs among plants.