This species is distinguished from its Southwestern Atlantic congeners by the following unique colour characters: initial phase (IP) is red overall with a brownish shade from lower jaw to over the abdominal cavity, sparse orange blotches on head, and a pale circumpeduncular band. The terminal phase (TP) on the other hand is reddish brown with orange stripe from jaw angle to end of preopercle, sparse orange blotches on head, with 3 pinkish to reddish stripes from about midline to dorsum, from midline to belly pale greyish green to whitish with suffusion of pale reddish brown, a black spot on base of pectoral fins and a bright-yellow blotch below this spot. Furthermore, mitochondrial 12S and 16S rRNA loci sequences do not match any known Sparisoma species (Ref. 84274).