This species is distinguished from its congeners in the Ganga-Brahmaputra by the following characters: snout morphology with a transverse lobe with 8-24 small- to medium-sized tubercles, distinct quadrate proboscis slightly tapering anteriorly and moderately elevated upwards, the anterior margin of the proboscis is truncate and sharply delineated from the depressed rostral surface by a narrow transverse groove, each anterolateral marginal corner of the proboscis have one large unicuspid, acanthoid tubercle, and one small tubercle in between, and the lateral margin of the proboscis with 3-6 small tubercles in one row; differs from G. birostris, G. quadratirostris, G. gotyla in lacking (vs. having) an anterolateral lobe of the lower lip, a more posteriorly situated anus (distance from anus to anal fin 19-25 % of pelvic-anal distance vs. 22-44), by the number of lateral-line scales 35 (vs. 33-34; except in G. quadratirostris). it has fewer transverse scale rows between lateral line and anal-fin origin 3 1/2 (vs. 4-4 1/2), with circumpeduncular scale rows 12 (vs. 16), has a larger adhesive disc with disc length 45-53 % HL (vs. 33-42), central callous-pad width 39-48 % HL (vs. 30-41), and length 32-38 % HL (vs. 20-28), without (vs. with) a black spot at the upper angle of the gill opening; differs from G. quadratirostris in having fewer lateral-line scales 35 (vs. 37), total vertebrae 33-34 (vs. 35-36),

abdominal vertebrae 15-16 (vs. 17-18), and predorsal vertebrae 9 (vs. 10-11) (Ref. 94542); differs from Garra nethravathiensis by having the following characters: unbranched dorsal-fin rays 3 (vs.2); unbranched anal-fin rays 3 (vs. 2); branched pectoral-fin rays 14-15 (13); pre-dorsal scales 10-12 (vs. 8-10); lateral-line scales 35 (vs. 30-31); scales between lateral line to origin of pelvic-fin 3.5 (2.5); circumpeduncular scales 12 (vs. 16) (Ref. 96640).