This species is distinguished from its congeners by the following characters: highly concentrated dark chromatophores on the lateral-line scales, resulting in a markedly, dark pigmentation along the lateral line; it differs from arnoldi, lobatus, lucienae, planquettei, rhomboidalis, schomburgkii, zorroi by having 25-29 branched dorsal-fin rays (vs. 18-24); from ternetzi by the presence of a symphyseal pair of conical teeth posterior to the main row of dentary (vs. absence); from asterias, levis, rubripinnis, taphorni, tiete, torquatus, tumukumak by having 89-114 lateral line scales from supracleithrum to end of hypural plate (vs. 56-89) and 98-120 total perforated lateral line scales (vs. 59-97) (Ref. 123127).