[1] It inhabits estuaries and rivers in Guyana, French Guiana, Suriname, Brazil, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela.

[3] The couma sea catfish has an extensive diet, consisting predominantly of crabs including Aratus pisonii, Pachygrapsus gracilis, Uca rapax, Uca maracoani, and Ucides cordatus, as well as other crustaceans such as shrimp in the genera Alpheus and Macrobrachium.

It also feeds on bony fish in the family Ophichthidae and the genus Hypostomus, as well as ariid larvae, gastropods, insects, and debris such as skin from mammals, and leaves and twigs from terrestrial plants.

[5][6] The couma sea catfish is of high value to commercial fisheries, with the delicate texture of its flesh being its main source of appeal.

It also notes that the population could possibly be threatened by pollution in its habitat, though at present the effects this may be having on the species are unknown.