Distinguished from all other members of Hypostomus cochliodon group except H. sculpodon by having a medium-sized buccal papilla, intermediately developed teeth and a large patch of odontodes on the opercle. Differs from H. sculpodon by its dark brown color with closely spaced spots, by having a greater dorsal-anal length to anal-fin length ratio (average=111.1%, 92.5-132.6% vs. average=79.2%, 69.6-89.7%) and almost completely by having a larger interorbital width/HL ratio (average=49.9, 44.1-55.6% vs. average=51.4%, 38.5-45.4%) (Ref. 50589).