This species is distinguished from all its congeners in Iran and the wider Euphrates and Tigris drainage by the following characters, none of which are unique: superficially similar to A. atropatenae (from the endorheic Lake Urmia basin) but differs by having usually (12) 13-17 (18) gill rakers on the first branchial arch (vs. usually (10) 11-13 (15)); both A. doriae and A. atropatenae have a mid-lateral stripe between the head and the caudal-fin base, but in A. doriae, this stripe is diluted with hazy borders anterior to the dorsal-fin base (vs. with sharp borders along all its length); differs from A. filippii from the Caspian Sea basin by having usually 8½ branched dorsal-fin ray (vs. 7½) and the ventral keel between the pelvic-fin base and the anus fully covered by scales (vs. ventral keel entirely naked or naked part extends more than 50% of the distance between the pelvic-fin origin and the anus); differs from A. hohenackeri (from the Caspian Sea basin in being invasive in the Tigris drainage) by having fewer gill rakers 12-18 (vs. 18-25) and branched anal-fin rays 9-12½, mode 11½ (vs. 12-16½, mode 13½); differs from A. caeruleus (from the Qweik, Euphrates and Tigris drainages) by having fewer branched anal-fin rays 9-12½ (vs. 13-18½), more gill rakers on the first gill arch 12-18, usually 14-15 (vs. 9-13) and a more slender body, body depth at dorsal-fin origin 20-25% (vs. 26-31% SL); differs from A. sellal (from the Qweik, Euphrates and Tigris drainages) and A. zagrosensis (from headwaters of the Karun River) by having fewer scales along the lateral line 44-56 (vs. 62-86 in A. sellal and 67-83 in A. zagrosensis), fewer scale rows between the dorsal-fin origin and the lateral line 8-12 (vs. 12-19 in A. sellal and 13-15 in A. zagrosensis) and fewer scale rows between the lateral line and the pelvic-fin origin 2-5 (vs. 4-7 in A. sellal and A. zagrosensis); differs from A. heckeli (from Lake Hazar in Turkey) by having fewer lateral-line scales 44-56 (vs. 82-93), fewer gill rakers 12-18 (vs. 19-26) and fewer branched anal-fin rays 9-12½, usually 10-11½ (vs. 12-14½, usually 13½); differs from A. tarichi (from Lake Van in Turkey) by having fewer gill rakers 12-18 (vs. 21-29); differs from A. timarensis (from the Lake Van basin) by having fewer lateral-line scales 44-56 (vs. usually 54-65); differs from A. selcuklui (from the upper Tigris) by having fewer lateral-line scales (44-56 vs. 70-80), scales between lateral line and dorsal-fin origin 8-12 (vs. 13-18) and scales between the lateral line and the pelvic-fin origin 2-5, mode 4 (vs. 5-7, mode 6) (Ref. 116542).