This species is distinguished by the following characters: teeth truncate and labiolingually compressed, incisor-like, with tips rounded (in juveniles, tips are pointed), the biting edges not forming a line; differs from its congeners by having modally 3 rows of scale on cheek (vs. 4 or more), presence of single spot at posteroventral angle of opercle (vs. spots absent, or 1 spot present but not located at the angle in other species except Cryptoheros altoflavus), a medial intensification only of 4th lateral bar on the side of the body (vs. either only on 3rd bar or none), straight dorsal edge of the articular bone (vs. convex), first neural spine retrorsely directed (vs. antrorse in all other species except Cryptoheros spilurus and

C. cutteri), 2 dorsal elements between first two epineural spines (vs. 3); paired fins seldom or never extend posteriorly to the first anal-fin spine; anal-fin spines 6 (vs. 7 or more); dorsal-fin spines 16 (vs. always 17 or more); dorsal- and anal-fin spines total 23 (vs. 24 or more) (Ref. 74403).