This species is distinguished from its congeners, G. balzanii, G. meridionalis, G. rhabdotus, G. setequedas, G. labiatus, G. lacustris by the absence of an oblique dark band from the eye to the origin of the dorsal fin; differs from the remaining species by the absence of an oblique dark band from the eye to the anterior border of the head in mature males (vs. present in gymnogenys and mekinos), the unpaired fins colored red (vs. yellow in lipokarenos), the soft dorsal fin rarely scaled (vs. scaled in australis), presence of large white dots sometimes forming stripes distally in the soft dorsal fin (vs. dorsal fin of males with spaced small silvery to bright blue dots in caaguazuensis, and dorsal fin of males with three longitudinal bands colored of yellow proximally, white/red at middle length of dorsal fin spines and rays and dark gray distally in tiraparae), caudal fin covered with white dots (vs. covered with dots proximally and stripes distally in constellatus); and the lips not developed (vs. developed in pseudolabiatus) (Ref. 118066).