This species is distinguished from all congeners except Panaqolus maccus by having head, body, and fins with widely separated small white to yellow spots, vermiculations, and/or thin oblique bands on a black base (vs. exclusively small white to yellow spots on a black base in P. albomaculatus, generally broad oblique bands of alternating light to dark brown in P. changae, P. gnomus, P. purusiensis, and a uniformly dark gray to black body color in P. dentex, P. koko, and P. nocturnus). It differs from P. maccus by its black base color (vs. brown), parallel dentary tooth rows (vs. acute intermandibular tooth row angle), and a larger known adult body size 9.58 cm SL (vs. 8.48 cm SL) (Ref. 93923).