Over all color silver y to yellowish-white. Backgrey-brown. Paired fins bright orange-red. Anal fin yellowto greenish. Dorsal fin dark with a yellow-tingedbase. Peritoneum black. Mouth small and semicircularwith a width about the size of the eye diameter and haslarge lateral lobes. Cartilaginous sheath thickened betweencorners of mouth and rounded posteriorly with adistinct margin. Gut relatively short and less complexlycoiled. Dorsal fin last spine with strong teeth, but a thinand flexible tip. Belly scaled. A well-developed pelvicaxillary scale present. Gill rakers short, reaching the rakerbelow when appressed, but absent on anterior arch.Pharyngeal teeth spoon-shaped with a small hook at thetip. In the breeding season, opercle and lateral surface ofbody colored bright yellow to orange and tubercles distinctin males. Inhabit a variety of habitats including riversand canals. Maximum age 8 years and total length 25cm. Maturity at 2 years and at least 10 cm total length.Spawning over sand, stones and gravel, in May-June.Absolute fecundity about 1000 yellowish eggs with a diameterof 1 mm. Food include filamentous algae, aquaticinsects, worms and detritus.