Distinguished from all congeners by its lower number of unbranched pectoral-fin rays (6-7 v. 8-12), by its shorter pelvic fins (12·8-14%LSv. 19-24) and by the absence of dark circular or irregular shaped dark blotches along the dorsal midline (v. presence of dark circular or irregular shaped dark blotches arranged in a longitudinal row along dorsal midline). Balitora eddsi is further distinguished from B. brucei by its posteriorly pointed (v. posteriorly rounded) median lobe between anterior rostral barbels and its pointed (v. rounded) snout, from B. brucei, B. burmanica, B. kwangsiensis, B. lancangjiangensis, B. meridionalis and B. nantingensis by its more posteriorly positioned dorsal fin (dorsal-fin origin posterior to pelvic-fin origin v. dorsal-fin origin opposite pelvic-fin origin in B. brucei, B. burmanica, B. lancangjiangensis and B. meridionalis or anterior to pelvic-fin origin in B. kwangsiensis and B. nantingensis), from B. burmanica, B. annamatica, B. meridionalis, B. mysorensis and B. nantingensis by its higher number of lateral-line scales (66-67 v. 62-65 in B. burmanica, 61-62 in B. annamatica, 62-64 in B. meridionalis, 64-65 in B. mysorensis, 59-64 in B. nantingensis) and from B. annamatica, B. meridionalis and B. mysorensis by its longer and more slender caudal peduncle (caudal peduncle length 22-23·2% LS, its depth 4·1-4·2 times its length v. caudal peduncle length 13-15% LS in B. annamatica, its depth 1·9-2·2 times its length; 14-16% LS in B. meridionalis, its depth 1·9-2·8 its length; caudal peduncle depth 1·9 times its length in B. mysorensis). It is further distinguished from B. longibarbata in having one barbel at each corner of the mouth (v. a pair of barbels at each corner of the mouth).