Barbus miliaris is distinguished from other members of the Barbus lacerta group by having 69-87 (mode 77) scales along the lateral line (vs. 50-66, mode 57 in B. cyri; 52-66, mode 61 in B. lacerta), and 80-95% of the posterior margin of the last unbranched dorsal-fin ray covered with denticles (vs. 60-70%). It also differs from B. cyri by having more predorsal scales 37-47, mode 42 (vs. 24-34, mode 29), a straight posterior anal-fin margin (vs. convex) and a narrower upper lip (its width 4-6 %HL vs. 7-9 %HL). It is also distinct from B. lacerta by the tip of the anal fin, when pressed to the body, reaching to about the middle of the distance between the base of the last anal-fin ray and the lower caudal-fin origin (vs. beyond, often to caudal-fin base), 3-6 (mode 4) scale rows between the tip of the anal fin and the base of the caudal fin (vs. 0-3), the maxillary barbel is longer (26-41 %HL vs. 12-32 %HL in other species) and does not reach to the posterior eye margin (vs. reaching in B. lacerta); and rectangular gular region (vs. triangular). Other diagnostic characters include the following: snout length 54-57% of body depth at dorsal-fin origin; eye diameter 2.3-2.6 times in snout length; caudal peduncle length 1.7-2.2 times longer than deep; and median pad of lower lip shallow (Ref. 115584).