Differs from other members of the Betta pugnax group by the following unique combination of characters: 5-10 regularly spaced black transverse bars on caudal fin of male and female; in life, both male and female with alternating bluish and black transverse bars on dorsal and caudal fins; both male and female with black transverse bars on posterior few anal-fin rays; anal fin with dark distal edge. It shares with B. prima the presence of a second postorbital stripe on opercle; small adult size (3.1-4.1 cm SL); total anal-fin rays 23-24; lateral scales 29-30 (mode 29); postdorsal scales 10-11 (mode 10); pelvic fin length 33.2-51.8% SL; head length 33.6-36.5% SL; interorbital width 29.8-32.1% HL (Ref. 56613).