It is found in the southeastern Pacific Ocean off the coasts of Peru and Chile.

[2] A specimen caught by Charles Darwin during the Beagle voyage was described as being more elongated than Pinguipes brasilianus, being about six and a half times as long as the body is deep and as having two longitudinal rows of ill-defined spots on the flanks and a larger, dark-coloured, round spot at the base of the caudal fin.

Its range extends from Tumbes in northern Peru, southwards to the Magallanes Region of southern Chile.

[2] It is also present in the kelp forest alongside other carnivorous fish such as the Peruvian morwong (Cheilodactylus variegatus), the sea chub (Graus nigra) and the Cape redfish (Sebastes capensis).

The diet also varies according to the time of year and the seasonal availability of prey species, with more fish being taken in the autumn.