This species is distinguished from its congeners by the following characters: head with a much more intense and widespread red color, extending up to the humeral region (vs. limited red coloration and not extending to humeral region in georgiae, rhodostoma); horizontal black bar on the end of the caudal peduncle is never prolonged forward (vs. prolonged up to the anal-fin in georgiae, rhodostoma); anal-fin hyaline (vs. a black bar present on the base of the anterior part of the anal-fin, continuing obliquely on the branched rays in georgiae, rhodostoma) (Ref. 127081).