The easiest way to distinguish these is by examining the throat markings, which vary according to species, and in the case of B. hipposideros form a black horse-shoe shape. It can also be separated from other group members by the following suite of characters: dark blotch on throat joined to black lower lip; presence of transverse bars in dorsal and caudal fins; absence of dark margin in anal-fin; opercle usually with gold scales, without iridescrent green scales; ventral margin of opercle brown; 6.5-7 subdorsal scales (mode 6.5); 9-10 postdorsal scales (mode 9.5); 31-32 lateral scales (mode 32).

This species is also referred to by the vernacular name 'Malay combtail'. In terms of external characters it differs most obviously from its only congener, B. signata by its overal brownish grey (vs. reddish) body colouration and presence of a mosaic-type patterning in the unpaired fins (vs. absence).

The position of relatedness of the genus Belontia with respect to other anabantoids remains somewhat…