This species is distinguished from its congeners by the following set of characters: branch of the temporal sensory canal at sphenotic, which gives rise to the supraorbital canal, with two pores; upper tooth plate of branchial arch with three or four series of teeth; small fleshy flat at the corner of the mouth, ventral to the maxillary barbel; dark brown or black patch transversally crossing the orbit, forming a mask like blotch, which can be variably diffuse; distinct color pattern along midline of flank; dorsolateral body plates only with small, irregular, rounded or vertically elongated dark brown or black blotches; ground color of plates typically dusky but not forming large, conspicuous black patches; relatively large, conspicuous dark patch on anterior portion of dorsal fin absent; triangular fleshy flap at the corner of mouth, ventrally to maxillary barbel, not forming an elongated barbel-like structure (Ref. 132450).