This species is distinguished from its congeners by the following set of characters: with bars on flank across lateral line more than or equal to 25 (vs. less than or equal to 20 in H. acuticephala, H. erhaiensis); bars on flank vertical along lateral line (vs. none in H. nigra); no free protrusions between the pelvic fins (vs. pair of free protrusions in H. pycnolepis); gill opening is smaller, upper angle level with lower edge of eye (vs. opening larger and with upper angle aligned with middle point of eye in H. acuticephala, H. anguillioides, H. coccinocola, H. erhaiensis, H. pycnolepis); with pelvic axillary lobe (vs. none in H. anguillioides, H. acuticephala); marked notch on lower jaw (vs. lower jaw spoon-shaped and no notch in H. erhaiensis, H. wuliangensis); dorsal-fin base is shorter than longest branched dorsal-fin ray (vs. longer than longest branched dorsal-fin ray in H. acuticephala, H. anguillioides, H. cryptoclathrata, H. erhaiensis, H. wuliangensis); dorsal and pelvic fins are located anteriorly, predorsal length 44.4% SL (42.8-46.3%), prepelvic length 45% SL (43.3-46.7 %) (vs. predorsal length 47.7% SL (45.7-49.6 %), prepelvic length 48.7% SL (47.0-49.9 %) in all congeners of densely-scaled group of Homatula (Ref. 121600).