This species is distinguished from its congeners by having a non-pigmented band on the head positioned parallel to the ventral margin of the rostral and lateral snout plates and with the margin between pigmented and non-pigmented plates very well defined (vs. absence of a distinct pigmented. It can be further distinguished from its congeners, except for H. inexspectatum, by having the ventral surface of the anterior rostral plate as wide as the ventral surface of the first lateral rostral plates (vs. ventral surface gradually widening from anterior rostral to lateral rostral plates). It is readily distinguished from H. inexspectatum by having a greater number of plates along the trunk medial series 23 (vs. 20-21 (21)), by having the snout appearing pointed in dorsal view due to a slight concavity between rostral plate and first infraorbital (vs. snout typically spatulate), and by having, if present, a distinct series of odontodes along dorsal and ventral rostral margin of snout restricted to the anterior rostral plate (vs. series of odontodes along dorsal and ventral rostral margin of snout extended laterally to include second and third infraorbitals) (Ref. 84367).