According to the late Eric Christenson, M. hematoglossa is most similar to M. praestans, but differs in the spots that form the stripes, being concentrated only near the base in M. praestans and all the way out on the segments in M. hematoglossa and in the relative length of the crest and side lobes of the two species; in M. hematoglossa the side lobes are about 1/3 the length of the lip and in M. praestans, about 1/2 the length. This plant shows the lip side lobe length to be less than 1/2 the total lip. Another similar species, M. cucullata, does not have this dark lip and the sepals and petals are unspotted. This plant matches the photo of M. hematoglossa in Christenson's Unfinished Monograph, Vol. 1. Matching photos of M. hematoglossa can also be found in the IOSPE, OW and orchidroots.com.