This species is distinguished from its congeners of the rhabdotus group and fromG. balzanii by the shape of the caudal peduncle which is longer than deep (vs. deeper than long); differs from all congeners, except labiatus and pseudolabiatus, by having thick lips; differs from labiatus and lacustris by the absence of an oblique bar from the eye to the dorsal-fin origin (vs. present), and by the color pattern of the caudal, dorsal and anal fins with dots (vs. caudal fin and posterior portion of anal fin with longitudinal hyaline stripes); differs from pseudolabiatus and mekinos by the hump entirely black in males (vs. yellow with black margin), and the upper lip not folded dorsally over anterior margin of snout (vs. folded dorsally, usually with a well-developed medial lobe dorsally projected in pseudolabiatus) (Ref. 123558).