This species is distinguished from its congeners by the following set of characters: hypertrophied odontodes on cheeks reaching beyond the cleithrum, contacting mid-lateral plate rows; conspicuously elevated supraoccipital crest; slightly convex supraorbital crest; oblique bars on the anterior part of the body present; E-shaped mark on the snout present; three oblique dark bars on the anterior part of the body and horizontal vermicular bars from the pectoral girdle to the posterior insertion of the dorsal fin; thin light-gray bar on the posterior of the head extending across the branchial opening; tan background color; dentary with 5–8 teeth and 10–14 teeth on premaxilla; more developed suspensorium with a diminished appendix in the metapterygoid; robust dentary plate markedly fused with the angulo-articular bone; sharply angled adductor palatine crest; triangular-shaped diminute hyomandibula; contact of the posterior extremity of the adipose-fin base with the beginning of the dorsal caudal-fin lobe, a series of plate rows between the adipose posterior base and the anterior caudal; short maxillary barbels not reaching the edges of the lower lips (Ref. 133033).