This species is distinguished from its congeners occurring in the Black Sea basin (O. kosswigi, O. banarescui, O. samanticus, O. angorae) by the following characters: males with a suborbital groove; with an axillary lobe at the pelvic-fin base; no dorsal adipose crest on the caudal peduncle; with a slightly-forked caudal fin; and with 7-15 dark grey dorsal saddles, usually with 9-15 irregularly-shaped dark-grey bars on the flank posterior to the dorsal-fin origin or, rarely having a mottled pattern or 4-6 irregularly shaped dark-grey bars on the flank posterior to the dorsal-fin origin (Ref. 120213).