Barilius malabaricus can be separated from B. ardens by having a unique color pattern consisting of a single or a double row of spots along the length of the body, the first row with 9-13 round or oval bluish-green spots 1-2 scales high and 1-2 scales wide and the second row, if present, with 3-4 smaller spots reaching up to the anal-fin origin (vs. a row of 7-9 large, vertically-elongate, bluish-green blotches 4-6 scales high and 2-3 scales wide along the length of the body, of which in large adults the first three blotches are fragmented into a smaller row of blotches). It differs from B. ardens by having 5+4+2 (vs. 5+4+3) teeth on fifth ceratobranchial. It can be distinguished from B. canarensis and B. bakeri by having 11½ (vs. 10½) branched dorsal-fin rays and 14½-15½ (vs. 13½) branched anal-fin rays, and having the dorsal and anal fins margined with bright orange (vs. broadly margined with white). It further differs from B. canarensis and B. bakeri by having well-defined gill rakers (vs. fleshy, rudimentary gill rakers) (Ref. 10048).