This species is distinguished from its congeners ahli, altipinnis, balayi, buettikoferi, longiceps, monkei, pantherinus, punctatus, zebratus by having the eyes situated dorsally, i.e. high on the head towards its upper edge, and round snout profile (vs. eyes situated dorsally and bluntly triangular snout profile); differs from stiassnyae with truncated caudal fin (vs. rounded), spotted fins (vs. unspotted pectoral, pelvic and anal fin), vertical rows of blotches interspaced by reticulated pattern (vs. irregularly scattered large blotches and absence of reticulated pattern on the flank), in addition to shorter barbels, with external mandibular barbel not reaching the tip of the pectoral-fin spine (vs. barbels long, with external mandibular barbel reaching beyond the tip of the pectoral-fin spine); differs from all other species of the P. ngamensis species group

by its round snout profile (vs. bluntly triangular in ngamensis, lueleensis, patersoni, dolichorhinus, poikilos, chiumbeensis, luendaensis or partly round in megalasma.), eyes situated dorsally (vs. eyes situated dorsolaterally in ngamensis, lueleensis, patersoni, dolichorhinus, poikilos, chiumbeensis, luendaensis, megalasma), black spots at the base of the pectoral fin (vs. absent in ngamensis, lueleensis, patersoni, dolichorhinus, poikilos, chiumbeensis, luendaensis, megalasma), black blotches (eye size) forming six to seven vertical rows extending onto adipose fin (vs. five to seven vertical rows of black spots or blotches not extending onto adipose fin in ngamensis, lueleensis, patersoni, dolichorhinus, poikilos, chiumbeensis, luendaensis, megalasma), and vermiculated pattern on the background (vs. spots on the background in ngamensis, lueleensis, poikilos or no background spots in patersoni, dolichorhinus, chiumbeensis, luendaensis; differs further from ngamensis, lueleensis, patersoni, dolichorhinus, chiumbeensis, luendaensis by the heavily spotted barbels (vs. unspotted); differs further distinguished from dolichorhinus by wider interpectoral distance, 19.8%-20.6% SL (vs. narrow, 12.4%-18.2% SL); differs further from dolichorhinus, lueleensis, poikilos by deeper body depth, 18.2%-19.9% SL (vs. shallow, 11.6%-14.0% SL in dolichorhinus, 15.0%-17.4% SL in lueleensis, and 16.0%-16.2% SL in poikilos) (Ref. 132425).