This species is distinguished from its congeners from Rio Iguaçu by the combination of the following characters: narrow third infraorbital, leaving a broad naked area between its border and preopercle corresponding to approximately one third depth of the bone; 5 premaxillary large teeth in the inner series all in a straight line in ventral view; symphysal pair bicuspid; maxillary short in relation to premaxillary, with 1-3 teeth, forming a right angle with premaxillary when mouth is closed; all other premaxillary (both series) teeth and larger (anterior) dentary teeth tricuspid; first branchial arch with 6 gill-rakers in epibranchial and 10 or 11 in lower branch (ceratobranchial + hypobranchial); presence of a vertically elongated humeral dark brown blotch and a horizontally elongated dark caudal brown spot (Ref. 85756).