Over all color gr eenish to golden br own, bellywhite to silvery or yellowish. Scales on back and upperflank with dark brown pigment. Eye brownish orange,golden or silvery. Peritoneum black. No barbels.Last dorsal fin unbranched ray moderately ossified butlacking teeth and last third or quarter of it thin, flexibleand tapering. Gut with two anterior and three posteriorloops. Teeth hooked at tip but not strongly spoonshaped.Gill rakers reaching raker below when appressed.A small pelvic axillary scale present. Mouthsubterminal. Lips well-developed but not fleshy and lowerlip interrupted in middle. In rivers, lakes and marshes.Move to rivers during floods from end of February tobeginning of March. Return to lakes and marshes forspawning in mid-March to mid-April at 15-16°C . Lowtolerance to low oxygen. Maximum age 9 years, totallength 55 cm and weight 4 kg. Maturity at 2-3 year at 25-28 cm total length. Males mature earlier than females.Sex ratio of 1female:3males. Eggs deposited on submergedvegetation. Absolute fecundity up to 236,000yellow eggs of up to 2 mm in diameter. Food includeChlorophyceae, diatoms and filamentous algae in young,and higher plants and detritus in adults.