This species is distinguished from its congeners by the following characters: partly scaled (vs. totally absent or only a few scales on the caudal peduncle in H. nanpanjiangensis, H. oligolepis, H. disparizona, H. wenshanensis and scales all over the body, except for the head in H. acuticephala, H. anguillioides, H. pycnolepis, H. wuliangensis, H. change, H. coccinocola); lateral line complete (vs. incomplete in H. potanini, H. wujiangensis); body with vertical brown bars that are wider than their interspaces, 19-22 (vs. equal to interspace or slightly wider than its interspace in H. variegate, H. berezowskii, H. longidorsalis); caudal fin micro-rounded (vs. truncated or oblique in H. variegata, H. berezowskii); adipose crest on caudal peduncle not reaching forward of the position of the anal-fin origin (vs. beyond anal-fin origin in H. variegate, while identical in H. longidorsalis); predorsal body is partially scaled (vs. absent in H. berezowskii, H. longidorsalis); anterior nostril forming a valve (vs. forming a spool in H. longidorsalis); similar with H. laxiclathra<> in the vertical brown bars on the body but differs in that the intestine forms a bend, not reaching the posterior surface of U-shaped stomach vs. a loop anteriorly reaching the posterior surface of the U-shaped stomach) and the anterior with only a few and scattered scales vs. scaleless (Ref. 124439).