Charax awa can be diagnosed by the following combination of characters: orbital diameter 22.1-28.5% HL; snout length 23.3-32.8% HL; 15-18 scales around the caudal peduncle; 35 vertebrae; lateral line complete; toothless ectopterygoid; origin of anal fin always anterior to the vertical through the origin of dorsal fin; 15-18 scale rows from the dorsal-fin origin to the lateral line; 11-12 scale rows from the pelvic-fin origin to the lateral line; 8-10 transverse scale rows in space from the humeral spot to the supracleithrum; maxilla extending to a vertical line posterior to pupil, near the pos¬terior orbital margin; and humeral spot distance 35.8-38.0 % SL (Ref. 117313).