Barilius canarensis differs from B. ardens by having a unique color pattern consisting of a double row of spots along the length of the body, the first row with 9-13 round or oval bluish-green spots 1-2 scales high and 1-2 scales wide and the second row, with 3-4 smaller spots reaching up to the anal-fin origin (vs. a row of 7-9 large, vertically-elongate, bluish-green blotches 4-6 scales high and 2-3 scales wide along the length of the body, of which in large adults the first three blotches are fragmented into a smaller row of blotches). It can be distinguished from B. ardens by having 5+4+2 (vs. 5+4+3) teeth on fifth ceratobranchial, 14-15 (vs. 16-18) predorsal scales, and dorsal and anal fins margined with white (vs. broadly margined with bright orange). It differs from B. malabaricus by having 10½ (vs. 11½) branched dorsal-fin rays and 13½ (vs. 14½-15½) branched anal-fin rays, and having the dorsal and anal fins margined with white (vs. broadly margined with bright orange). It can be distinguished from B. bakeri by having a unique color pattern consisting of a double row of spots along the length of the body, the first row with 9-13 round or oval bluish-green spots 1-2 scales high and 1-2 scales wide and the second row, with 3-4 smaller spots reaching up to the anal-fin origin (vs. only a single row of spots along the length of the body); having 35-36 + 1 (vs. 37-38 + 1) lateral line scales and slender, well-defined gill rakers (vs. fleshy, rudimentary gill rakers) (Ref. 100448).