 The Chiapas catfish mainly feeds on crabs, prawns, small fish, and large, tough plant seeds.This catfish is commonly fished in its natural habitat, where it is known as "madre de juil", which means "mother of "Rhamdia"" (a common fish in the area).It first came to the attention of scientists in 1996, when Rócio Rodiles-Hernández, a Mexican ichthyologist conducting a biotic survey on the river, collected the first specimens from the Chiapas-Guatemala border.