This species is distinguished from its congeners by the following set of characters: sides with bars across lateral line equal to or greater than 25 (vs. equal or less than 20 in H. acuticephala, H. erhaiensis); bars on sides vertical along lateral line (vs. no marks H.

Nigra); without free protrusions between the pelvic fins (vs. a pair of free protrusions between the pelvic fins in H. pycnolepis); gill opening smaller, with upper angle level with lower edge of eye (vs. larger gill opening and its upper angle aligned with middle point of eye in H. anguillioides, H. acuticephala, H. coccinocola, H. erhaiensis, H. pycnolepis); with pelvic axillary lobe (vs. none in H. acuticephala, H. anguillioides); marked notch on lower jaw (vs. lower jaw spoon-shaped, no notch in H. erhaiensis, H. wuliangensis); dorsal-fin base is longer than length of longest branched dorsal-fin ray (vs. shorter than longest branched dorsal-fin ray in H. anteridorsalis, H. nigra, H. pycnolepis); bars on anterior flank crowded together, faintly visible in fresh specimens (vs. distinct in H. acuticephala, H. anguillioides, H. anteridorsalis, H. change, H. coccinocola, H. erhaiensis, H. pycnolepis, H. wuliangensis) (Ref. 121600).