Distinguished from all its congeners except Neblinichthys brevibracchium by having the following characters: pigmentation pattern on the abdomen consisting of large white spots and vermiculations over a dark gray or black background in adult males (vs. abdomen with small brown spots and vermiculations or plain); lacking odontodes on the opercle (rarely one odontode present, vs. the exposed portion of the opercle completely covered by odontodes); completely lacking the iris operculum (vs. iris operculum small or at least the dorsal rim of the pupil straight); and internares width/head length (6.2-6.7% vs. 7.6-15.5%). Differs

Neblinichthys brevibracchium by a larger dorsal- fin base/SL ratio (24.3-27.0% vs. 18.1-22.8%), a smaller dorsalanal distance/SL ratio (11.9-12.5% vs. 13.7-18.3%), by having the snout tapering shallowly and continuously from eyes to snout tip (vs. snout decreasing in steep arc just anterior to eyes and then flattening in area anterior of nares), and by having the adpressed dorsal fin reaching the anterior preadipose plate (vs. not reaching anterior preadipose plate). Can be diagnosed from Neblinichthys pilosus and Neblinichthys roraima by its odontodes along the edge of the snout of nuptial males longer than those on the top of the snout (vs. odontodes on the front edge of the snout much longer than those on the sides of the snout; nuptial males not known for Neblinichthys brevibracchium or Neblinichthys yaravi); from Neblinichthys roraima by the possession of one to two preadipose plates (vs. more than four) (Ref. 85178).