Distinguished from all other species of the genus by the following combination of characteristics:

color pale yellow on lateral and dorsal regions of head and body, whiter on ventral. Skin covered by

several irregular pale brown blotches aligned along the body (vs. distinct color patterns in all other Ituglanis); pectoral fin-rays i,6 (vs. i,4 in I. macuniama, I. cahyensis and I. parahybae; i,5 in I. amazonicus, I. eichorniarium,

I. metae and I. nebulosus; i,7 in I. bambui, I. passensis, I. epikarsticus; i,8 in I. ramiroi except in I. parkoi, I. proops and I. laticeps); pelvic-fin-rays i,4 (vs. i,3 in I. eichorniarium and I. cahyensis or pelvic-fin absent in I. parahybae; i,5 in I. amazonicus, I. passensis except in I. gracilior, I. nebulosus, I. macunaima, I. bambui, I. ramiroi, I. epikasticus, I. parkoi, and I. guayaberensis); parietal fontanel extending to posterior edge of medial parietal border (vs. parietal fontanel reduced or vestigial, restricted to middle of medial parietal border in all other Ituglanis except in some I. amazonicus and I. proops); the unusual reduced number of vertebrae 34–36, where vertebral counts normally range 39 or more (in I. amazonicus, I. cahyensis, I. eichorniarium, I. parahybae, I. proops, I. gracilior, I. herberti, I. metae, Ituglanis sp. A).