This species is distinguished from all its congeners in Iran by the following characters, none of which are unique: breast naked or with embedded scales in one population (vs. covered by scales in G. rufa); belly and predorsal mid-dorsal line are covered by scales (vs. naked in G. mondica); eye set in posterior half of head (vs. slightly in anterior half in G. amirhosseini); usually with branched dorsal-fin rays 8½ (vs. 7½ in G. amirhosseini and G. mondica) and usually caudal-fin rays 9+8 (vs. 8+8 in G. persica); differs from G. rossica by having a fully developed mental disc (vs. weak-developed) and with total gill rakers on the first branchial arch 17-23 (vs. 13-15); differs from G. variabilis by having a fully developed mental disc (vs. weak- developed) and two pairs of barbels (vs. one); differs from G. typhlops and G. widdowsoni by having well-developed eyes and a brown and silvery colour pattern (vs. absence) (Ref. 109570).