Can be easily diagnosed from most loricariids, except Megalancistrus, a few species of Chaetostoma, and some species of Pterygoplichthys and Delturus, by having high number of dorsal-fin branched rays (10-11). Can also be differentiated by having slightly evertible cheek plates (vs. fully evertible cheek plates of Chaetostoma, Megalancistrus, and most other Ancistrini and Pterygoplichthyini taxa; or absence of evertible cheek plates in Delturinae, Neoplecostominae, Hypoptopomatinae, Loricariinae, Corymbophanini and Rhinelepini). It further differs from Delturus by possessing four branched anal-fin rays (vs. five or six) and from several loricariids by having naked abdomen (vs. plated in e.g. Pterygoplichthys), snout almost completely plated leaving just a small naked area on its tip (vs. snout completely naked in e.g. Chaetostoma) (Ref. 75060).