Can be diagnosed from other species of Hypostomus, excluding H. alatus, H. denticulatus, H. francisci, H. johnii, H. isbrueckeri, H. luteomaculatus, H. meleagris, H. multidens, H. mutucae, H. regani, H. strigaticeps, and H. ternetzi, by having high number of teeth (58 to 101, mean 77 on premaxilla, and 58 to 105, mean 80 on dentary) (vs. lower number of teeth, rarely more than 50 on both premaxilla and dentary). Differs from H. alatus, H. francisci, H. luteomaculatus, H. meleagris, H. multidens, H. regani, and H. strigaticeps by having dark spots over body and fins (vs. pale spots) and additionally from H. alatus, H. francisci, H. luteomaculatus, and H. regani by having a large premaxillary ramus, 24.0-29.9% of HL, mean 27.1% and large dentary ramus, 22.2-30.2% of HL, mean 27.0% (vs. relatively small premaxillary and dentary ramus, approximately or less than 20% of HL). Distinguished from H. denticulatus by having teeth with asymmetric cusps (vs. teeth with symmetrical cusps); from H. isbrueckeri by possessing an homogeneous caudal-fin ground color (vs. a yellow band on

distal caudal-fin margin in mature males); from H. johnii by having dark spots over body and fins usually faded (vs. dark spots over body and fins always conspicuous), abdomen

mostly naked (vs. mostly plated), and by having the upper and lower caudal-fin rays almost similar in length (vs. lower ray considerably longer than upper); from H. mutucae by

having caudal peduncle wide, width approximately equal to depth at adipose-fin origin (vs. caudal peduncle compressed, depth approximately twice the width at adipose-fin origin),

relatively robust teeth on both jaws (vs. slender teeth on both jaws), and body with small dark spots (vs. body with large dark blotches, approximately similar to larger than eye diameter,

in specimens around 100 mm SL); from H. ternetzi by having a roughly flat interorbital and predorsal region (vs. interorbital and predorsal region with prominent median keel) and abdomen mostly naked (vs. mostly plated) (Ref. 91068).