This species is distinct from its congeners in having the following characters: spatulate distal ends of the anterior pelvic lobes (wider tip in C. cadenati, tapering in others); dorsal mid-disk and tail with continuous semiparallel rows of thorns in adults (no thorns on mid-disk in C. rugosa, present on midline in others); claspers with small, flattened process (boss) on accessory terminal 2 cartilage and blind-ended sac with posterior opening at the distal end of the clasper (sentina), both unique within genus to C. hulleyi; interdorsal thorns 6 (none in C. durbanensis, 2 in C. parcomaculata, 4 in C. poeyi, 1 in C. rugosa, many in C. atlantis). This species is further distinguished from its congeners by the following set of characters: interdorsal distance greater than half, and not exceeding, dorsal-fin base length (vs. at least 1.5 times dorsal-fin base length in C. atlantis, half or less dorsal-fin base length in C. parcomaculata); outer lateral margin of clasper dorsal marginal cartilage elongated and bluntly rounded (truncate in C. rugosa); proximal margin of dorsal terminal I cartilage forms a point (a series of points in C. rugosa); distal point (eperon) of ventral terminal cartilage relatively narrow and claw-like (bifurcate in C. parcomaculata, expanded in C. rugosa); ventral surface of clasper without dermal denticles (present in C. parcomaculata) (Ref. .85323).