Cobitis wumingensis is distinguished from othe species of Cobitis by the combination of following characteristics: mental lobes undeveloped, with bluntly rounded tips; barbels small, maxillo-mandibular barbels shorter than eye diameter, maxillary barbels not reaching vertically to nostrils, maxillo-mandibular barbels reaching vertically to nostrils; scales small, round with a large focal area, and 20-24 radial grooves; males possess a long finger-like lamina circularis, and a sharp and nearly filamentous tip of the pectoral-fin ray; bicuspid suborbital spine, with a short processus latero-caudalis; five Gambetta pigment lines, L2 characterized with two rows of irregular spots that melted into two bands, the thickness of which are reduced towards the end of the length of the pectoral fin; L5 showing sexual dimorphism; females with a deeper bluish band pigment; males with a surface pigment consisting of 13-14 blotches; and a jet-black roundish spot conspicuous and smaller than or equal to the eye diameter on the upper part of the caudal peduncle (Ref. 118058).