This species is distinguished from Centromochlinae by having a vermiculated color pattern on the dorsum (vs. dorsum uniform in all Centromochlinae, except Tatia brunnea, T. dunni, and T. meridionalis). It is distinguished from these three aforementioned species by having the eye ventrolaterally displaced on head in a way that almost the entire eye is visible in ventral view (vs. eye displaced dorsolaterally and not visible in ventral view). It shares derived characters with other Centromochlus species such as the ventrolateral position of eye socket, a sphenotic notched for the exit of infraorbital canal, and with posterior serrations along pectoral-fin spine numerou. It is distinguished from its congeners by having the pectoral-fin spine with dark bars, alternating with light bars (vs. pectoral-fin spine with light and uniform color); further differs except C. carolae by the ventral surface of head moderate to largely pigmented (vs. ventral surface of head unpigmented in C. heckelii, C. existimatus, C. orca, C. musaicus, C. schultzi or with few scattered dark chromatophores in C. macracanthus and C. melanoleucus); differs from C. carolae by the presence of vermiculated color pattern or scattered chromatophores on lateral surface of the body that extends to the caudal peduncle (vs. lateral surface of the body with distinct demarcation between dark and light areas continuous posteriorly onto the caudal peduncle whereas the dark pigmentation extends nearly to the ventral midline); differs from C. schultzi by lacking dark large and rounded blotches over a pale background on head and trunk (vs. present; and by the smaller length of the dorsal-fin spine 18.1-27.1% of SL (vs. more than 27% of SL in C. macracanthus, C. heckelii, C. existimatus), and pectoral-fin spine 24.2-32.2% of SL (vs. more than 33% of SL in C. macracanthus, C. heckelii, C. existimatus) (Ref. 123897).