Hypselobarbus kushavali is distinguished from other congeners except H. pulchellus based on the lateral-line scale count of 31-32. It can be diagnosed from H. pulchellus by the lack of a lateral band (vs. presence). It differs from H. dobsoni and H. jerdoni by the lack of fin coloration (vs. the tips of the dorsal and caudal fins are black in H. jerdoni and H. dobsoni). It can be diagnosed from H. dobsoni in having 6.5 upper transverse scale rows (vs. 5.5), 4.5 lateral line to pelvic scale rows (vs. 3.5), 26 circumferential scale rows (vs. 24), and the morphometric characters of greater distance between origin of dorsal fin to origin of anal fin (33.68-36.24 vs. 30.53-31.40 %SL), greater body depth (40.19-42.38 vs. 33.18-37.64 %SL) and wider inter-orbital width (46.65-49.10 vs. 38.52-41.80 % HL). It is distinguished from H. jerdoni in having 31-32 scales on lateral line (vs. 27-29), 26 circumferential scale rows (vs. 23-24) and the morphometric characters of shorter caudal fin length (22.01-26.12 vs. 34.96-37.80 % SL) and greater interorbital width (46.65-49.10 vs. 35.73-40.01 % HL). It can be differentiated from H. bicolor in having 31-32 scales on lateral line (vs. 35-37), 13 circumpeduncular scale rows (vs. 16) and the morphometric character of a greater distance between dorsal-fin origin and pelvic-fin insertion (37.69-41.10 vs. 26.37-30.37 %SL) (Ref. 119237)