H. oveniiは体が側扁し,体の上半分が黒いことで本種から区別される。H. johnsonianus, H. attenuatus共に体色が白いことで本種から区別される。(清水)
Distinctive characters:
(Family):Body elongated, caudal more than half of body. Lateral line near ventral. (Genus):Cephalic region scaled, vertex of head bearing scales. Lateral-line scales not enlarged. (Species):Head short, its length 1/4 of length from snout to anus. Body not compressed, cylindrical. Body color uniformly brown. Oral cavity uniformly black. Gill rakers on first gill arch short, the longest one subequal to gill laminae. Nostrils close in position, anterior one with tube. Nostril region black in adult male, female not black. Scales deciduous. Maxillary with large spine on its upper margin.
Distribution:
Both sides of Atlantic.
Remarks:
H. ovenii differs from the present species in its compressed body and dark coloration on upper body. H. johnsonianus and H. attenuatus also differ from the present species in having whitish body coloration. (Shimizu)