Yellowish with small dar k br own or blackishspots. Fins greyish to pale olive. Iris bright silvery white.Head olive-green. Body elongate and cylindrical. Anusand anal fin covered by a scaled sheath. Dorsal and analfins relatively small. Mouth inferior. Lower jaw strong,crescent with a brownish sharp horny sheath. Lips maybe interrupted medially or continuous, and can be verystrongly developed. Dorsal fin spine well-developed withnumerous denticles, or weakly-developed. Two pairs ofbarbels with variable lengths. Scales tiny. Young about30 mm total length, lack scales and barbels. Gut long andcoiled. Peritoneum dark brown to black. In lotic and lenticenvironments. Maximum age 22 years and totallength 75 cm, elsewhere, but maximum 22 cm totallength in Iran, presumably a dwarf form. Spawning inJune and July. Eggs up to 2 mm in diameter and poisonous.Most active in evening and it hides in refugesamong rocks during the day. Food include small aquaticfauna, vegetation and detritus.