This species is distinguished from all its congeners by having the lateral surface of body with diffuse, scattered brown spots, sometimes grouped forming irregular and small marks at midlateral line (vs. lateral surface of body with a midlateral line of black or brown rounded blotches); further differs macanuda and operculatum by hving the maxillary barbel longer than half-length of the head (vs. smaller than half-length of the head); tips of pectoral-fin rays not extending beyond the interadial membrane (vs. extending beyond the interadial membrane); skin flap in the posterior margin of the opercle rounded and short (vs. skin flap pointed and long); fleshy flap at the base of the maxillary barbel located posteriorly, thin, restricted to the maxilla and distal margin is rounded (vs. fleshy flap located anteriorly, thick, prolonged up to the snout and with distal margin straight); caudal fin uniformly brown (vs. caudal fin with a transversal black bar distally); differs further from ibirapuita, milonga and teiniagua by having the pore s3 of the supraorbital line of the laterosensory system (vs. pore s3 absent) (Ref. 122319).