Diagnosed from other species of Barbus and Luciobarbus in Balkan Peninsula by having the following characters: last simple dorsal ray spinous, serrated posteriorly; 59-64 + 3-4 scales on lateral line; 13-16 scale rows between lateral line and dorsal fin origin; 9-11 scale rows between lateral line and pelvic fin origin; anterior scales of flank partly 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 without distinct black margin; lower lip with a swollen median pad; eye diameter 1.9-2.5 times in snout length; and caudal peduncle depth 1.3-1.7 times in its length (Ref. 59043).