Can be diagnosed from congeners not member of the flammeus species group by having a diffuse humeral spot, in lacking a dark spot on the dorsal fin and caudal peduncle. Differs from members of its species group by having ii,8, i dorsal-fin rays (vs. iii, 8; ii, 9), 25-26 branched anal-fin rays (vs. 15-24; except H. sebastiani with 25-28) and having a diffuse humeral spot (vs. well defined 1 or 2 humeral spots). Can be separated from Hyphessobrycon tortuguerae in having 1-2 teeth on the maxilla (vs. 3-10), 10-12 predorsal scales (vs. 13-15) and 6-7 scales between the lateral line and the anal fin (vs. 5). Differs from other known species of Hyphessobrycon of the flammeus species group from the Pacific Coast of Colombia in having the following characters: a high number of pored lateral-line scales (13-31 vs. 7-10), by snout to dorsal-fin length (41.3-52.3% SL vs. 53.6-57.5 % SL), by caudal-peduncle depth (7.4-10.5 % SL vs. 11.2-17.8 % SL) and by the length of the snout (16.8-18.0% HL vs. 18.3-30.7% HL). Differs from Hyphessobrycon columbianus by the distance from the dorsal fin to the anal fin (32.7-42.9 % SL vs. 44.0-46.1 % SL), by the length of the upper jaw (13.7-16.4 % HL vs. 18.2-30.7 % HL); and by snout length (16.8-18.0 % HL vs. 21.0-30.8 % HL); from Hyphessobrycon condotensis in having a high number of scales between the lateral line and the dorsal fin (7-8 vs. 6), and by the number of simple rays in the anal fin (iv vs. iii); from Hyphessobrycon sebastiani by the number of transverse scales (31-33 vs. 35-36), and the number of scales between the lateral line and the dorsal fin (7 vs. 8) (Ref. 92992).