Back and upper flank steel-blue, greenish,silvery-olive. Flanks and belly silvery, white or yellowishwith broad pink to red stripe and small black spots.Adipose fin with a black margin and a few spots. Pairedfins often orange-red. Spawning fish very dark with darkred or purple stripe. Young with 5-13 dark, oval parrmarks. Pyloric caeca 27-80. Vomer toothed. Breedingmales with an elongated and hooked lower jaw. In riversand lakes. Prefers temperatures below 20°C, but up to24°C tolerated. Maximum age 11 years, total length 122cm and weight 35 kg. Maturity at 3-5 years, some in firstyear. Spawning from March to August, usually in springat 5-13°C. A female excavates a redd by thrashing hertail. A dominant male courts a female by swimming overher in redd and by pressing against her. Females coverthe eggs with gravels. Spawning mostly in evening. Absolutefecundity up to 12,750 orange or pink eggs of upto 5 mm in diameter after swallowing. Food includeplankton, crustaceans, aquatic and terrestrial insects,snails, leeches, eggs, and fishes.