Over all color dar k with light spots and whitishbelly. Scales cycloid with a golden tip. Eyes brightyellow to golden. Medial fins with green or yellow topale red blotches and irregular black bars. A stripe beloweye. Peritoneum silvery. Gill rakers broad and spinulose.9-11 pores on lower jaw. Stomach elongate, intestine relativelyshort. No adipose fin or pyloric caeca. A solitaryfish. In lakes and rivers with still or slow flowing waterand marshes and ponds with a temperatures below 30°.Tolerate brackish water up to 10‰ (7‰ for reproduction).Maximum age 26 years, total length 175 cm andweight 48 kg. Maturity at 1-6 years and 30-63 cm. Springspawning migration from mid-March to beginning ofApril at 5-7°C. Reproduction on vegetation in shallow,still waters. Each female accompanied by 2 males. Absolutefecundity up to 595,000 adhesive amber eggs of upto 3.4 mm in diameter. Food mostly include zooplanktonand aquatic insects in juveniles, and fish in adults.