This species can be identified from similar-looking congeners by possession of a pair of small rictal barbels.

Its colour pattern can vary considerably depending on collection locality, with some forms having been misidentified as other species in the past. Those possessing a dark marking on the sides of the body are sometimes referred to as Corydoras sp. ‘olga’.

Endemic to the Río Meta, a major tributary of the Río Orinoco in eastern Colombia and western Venezuela. It is known from several tributaries within the upper basin including the ríos Humea, Ocoa, Guatiquía (including its two branches the ríos Negrito and Guayuriba), Manacacias, and Metica (the name given to the upper Río Meta above its confluence with the Río Humea). It appears to be absent from the lower Meta and has not been recorded in Venezuela.