Distinguished from all congeners in having a thick transverse skin flap between the pelvic fins. Further differs by the following combination of characters: presence of eight or nine paired ribs, reduced pigmentation, and eyes reduced to small ovoid dots. Shares features commonly observed among troglomorphs, yet is distinguished from troglobitic Trichomycterinae in having the maxillary barbel extending to the anterior pectoral-fin margin, nasal barbels reaching the opercular odontodes, three supraorbital pores on the head, eight pectoral-fin rays and the first ray prolonged as a filament, tip of adpressed pelvic-fin not reaching anal-fin origin, 39-40 vertebrae, eight to 13 opercular odontodes, 14-15 interopercular odontodes (Ref. 55665).