This species is distinguished from its congeners by the following set of characters: flank without marks (vs. vertical bars on flank along lateral line in all congeners); no free protrusions between the pelvic fins (vs. a pair of free protrusions in H. pycnolepis); gill opening smaller, its upper angle level with the lower edge of eye (vs. larger, with upper angle aligned with middle point of eye in H. acuticephala, H. anguillioides, H. coccinocola, H. erhaiensis, H. pycnolepis); pelvic axillary lobe present (vs. absent in H. acuticephala, H. anguillioides); marked notch on lower jaw (vs. lower jaw spoon-shaped and without notch in H. erhaiensis, H. wuliangensis); dorsal-fin base 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 (Ref. 121600).