Diagnosed from other species of Barbus and Luciobarbus in Balkan Peninsula by having the following characters: last simple dorsal ray spinous, serrated posteriorly along at least lower half in adults; 54-60 + 3-4 scales on lateral line; 12-16 scale rows between lateral line and dorsal fin origin; 9-11 scale rows between lateral line and pelvic fin origin; anterior scales of flank not embedded in skin; head, body and fins with conspicuous black dots, smaller than pupil, more or less organized into marbled patches; caudal fin with a few small dots and sometimes a narrow dark margin; and lower lip with a median lobe (Ref. 59043).