Distinguished from all other species of the R. punctatus group in having an anal fin with an orange distal stripe (vs. orange distal stripe absent) and caudal fin with marginalregion dark orange with black ventral outline in males (vs. never a similar pattern). Differs from all other species from the Paraná-Paraguay basin by the combination of the following features: flank with chevron-like red lines (vs.oblique rows of red dots), flank with dark gray stripe along midline (vs. strike absent), and 34-35 scales on the longitudinal series (vs. 30-32 as in all other species of the rio Paraguay basin).