Remarks. Chelidoperca santosi is distinguished from all congeners by the presence of a row of four small
dark spots on the snout (two in front of each eye) and two dark spots on the chin (one on each side of the symphysis
of the dentaries). It is further distinguished from C. hirundinacea by having 2.5–3.0 (versus 4) scales between the
lateral line and the dorsal-fin origin, and an emarginate caudal fin with narrow yellow bands (versus
asymmetrically crescent shaped with elongate yellow dorsal lobe and short red ventral lobe). Chelidoperca santosi
lacks prominent dark blotches, stripes or spots on the body (one or more present in C. occipitalis, C. investigatoris,
C. pleurospilus and C. hirundinacea) and has about four irregular reddish pink bars on the body (C. margaritifera
with yellow stripe and small white spots below stripe; C. lecromi with yellow body with a row of about five short
yellowish brown bars ventrally on body). Chelidoperca santosi is similar in appearance and probably most closely
related to C. maculicauda, but is distinguished by having no scales anteriorly between the eyes (versus scales
present anteriorly between the eyes), a white anal fin with six broad yellow spots with broad white interspaces and
a narrow yellow distal border (versus 10 yellow bars/spots with narrow white interspaces and red distal border on
anal fin), narrow yellow bars on the caudal fin and no dark spots (versus white spots on the ventral lobe and a small
dark spot on the dorsal lobe of the caudal fin), and no dark margins on scales below lateral line (versus some scales
below lateral line with dark distal margins).