Schistura wanlainensis is distinguished from all its congeners in Southeast Asia by its unique color pattern consisting of a pale yellowish to pale grey background with 18-32 narrow, regularly shaped black bars, extending from dorsal midline and reaching downwards to below level of pectoral fin, continuous over back with contralaterals in most specimens, wider than interspaces

anteriorly, narrower than interspaces on caudal peduncle; some of anterior bars fused at their dorsal extremity. Other useful but non-unique diagnostic characters include the following: base of caudal fin with black pattern made of a vertically elongated blotch at middle of base, and a

smaller blotch at its dorsal and ventral extremities (blotches contiguous in one specimen); dorsal fin with 8½ branched rays; caudal fin forked; caudal peduncle depth 1.2-1.5 times in its length; very low dorsal and ventral crests on caudal peduncle; lips thick, fleshy; upper lip with median notch; lower lip with narrow median interruption, with numerous furrows; processus dentiformis present, feebly marked, very wide (more than half of mouth gape); and a suborbital slit present in females (males unknown but expected to have a suborbital flap) (Ref. 116725).