This species is distinguished from is congeners within the Galaxias olidus complex by the following characters: trunk usually laterally compressed posteriorly from about above the pelvic fin base; caudal fin emarginate to weakly forked; often 12 segmented rays in anal fin (range 9-14), always more than in the dorsal fin, which usually has about 9 segmented rays; anal fin base length long (9.8-14.1 % SL) and that of dorsal fin short (7.4-10.8 % SL), anal fin long (14.3-19.7 % SL); caudal peduncle somewhat shallow (6.5-9.0 % SL); pelvic fins moderately large, about 91 % of length of pectoral fins; lateral profile of head is slightly to moderately wedge-shaped and snout rounded; inter-orbital wide (36.0-46.4 % HL) and eye moderately large (16.4-23.9 % HL); nostrils are moderate in length, usually not visible from ventral view; anterior tip of upper lip level with about 0.6 eye diameter above ventral margin of eye; raised lamellae usually absent from ventral surface of rays of paired fins, very occasionally present but weakly developed; anal fin origin usually under 0.47 distance posteriorly along dorsal fin base, often much less; usually with a single, short (1.2 % SL) pyloric caecum, but mostly absent; gill rakers variable, of moderate length to long and stout to thin; distinct body pattern, particularly on the sides, gill cover often with a large turquoise or gold patch and belly often distinctly silvery or white; the distinct black bars along lateral line are usually absent, although occasionally some individuals with darker mid-lateral dark brownish blotches between the pectoral and pelvic fin bases, or a single, to a series of, very narrow and short faint brown to greyish dark brown mid-lateral bars anteriorly behind the pectoral fin base (Ref. 98815).