This species is distinguished from all its congeners (Limia sensu lato) except L. nigrofasciata by the following characters: black bars on both sides of the body of males and females (the barred pattern is frequently more conspicuous in this species than in L. nigrofasciata, with darker and wider vertical bars); differs from L. nigrofasciata and other sympatric species (L. grossidens, L. fuscomaculata, L. garnieri, L. immaculata,

L. miragoanensis, L. ornata) in having the origin of the dorsal fin of females slightly posterior to the origin of the anal fin (vs. the origin of the dorsal fin is either slightly anterior or above the origin of the anal fin); differs from all other described species in the genus in having a slender body with body depth approximately equal to the caudal peduncle length; body depth is shorter than caudal peduncle length except in L. nigrofasciata, which has deeper body in relation to the length of the caudal peduncle (more conspicuous in males); number of serrae in the ray 4p of the gonopodium in males (10 segments in all measured specimens); gonapophyses and uncinated processes that support the gonopodium are thicker and more developed (Ref. 128733).