This species is distinguished from its congeners (P. strandjae, P. abanticus) in adjacent

basins by the following characters: differs P. strandjae by body color and pattern (not spawning period and immediately after fixation), it has short dark rectangular blotches along the lateral line, area between the lateral line and belly is yellowish in both males and females, with irregularly-shaped black spots on the upper part of the flank and no dark stripes on the middle part of the flank in males (vs. bars reaching from the dorsal to below the lateral line, hyaline between the lateral line and belly in females, blackish in males and no black spots on the upper part of the flank; further differs from P. strandjae by the scales of the breast where Phoxinus radeki has breast scaled but separated unscaled area anteriorly (vs. breast scaled connected or scales not connected anteriorly); differs from P. abanticus by the presence of scales on the breast in males (vs. absent), more slender body with body depth at dorsal fin origin 16-21% SL (vs. 22-25), more slender caudal peduncle, 8-10% SL (vs. 11-13), and with more lateral line scales 75-96 (vs.60-69) (Ref. 131043).