Garra mondica can be diagnosed from all other congeners in the rivers flowing to the Persian Gulf south of the Tigris by the absence of scales along breast and anterior belly (vs. fully covered by scales) and along mid-dorsal area in front of the dorsal-fin origin or dorsal midline with only few, usually embedded scales. The naked mid-dorsal area seems to be a unique diagnostic trait of this species within its comparison group including the species of the Euphrates and Tigris drainages. A naked breast and anterior belly is also present in some populations of G. rufa. Garra mondica can be further differentiated from G. rufa by having usually 7½ branched rays in dorsal fin (vs. usually 8½). In addition to the naked breast, anterior belly and predorsal back, G. mondica can be separated from G. persica by having usually 9+8 rays in caudal fin (vs. usually 8+8). It differs from G. rossica by having a fully-developed mental disc (vs. reduced) and 18-23 total gill rakers on the first branchial arch (vs. 11-15); from G. variabilis by having a fully developed mental disc (vs. reduced) and two pairs of barbels (vs. one); and from G. lorestanensis, G. typhlops and G. widdowsoni by having well-developed eyes and a brown or grey, usually mottled color pattern (vs. absence of color pattern) (Ref. 109570).