Dar k back, silver y flanks and whitish belly.A dark stripe along the upper flank. Lips dark. Fin rayedges and membranes lightly pigmented. Peritoneum silverywith some melanophores. Last dorsal fin unbranchedray spiny and sharp with a flexible tip. Lateralline deeply decurved. A sharp scaleless keel from pectoralfins to vent. Gill rakers short and numerous, reachingsecond raker below when appressed. Scales bear numerousfine circuli and a few posterior radii. Teeth hooked attip with an elongate and narrow grinding surface. Gutelongate and S-shape. A tubercle on lower jaw fits into anotch on upper jaw. In rivers, lakes, small ponds andswamps. Maximum age 6 years and total length 18 cm.Maturity at least at 2 years. Spawning in March to June.Sex ratio 1male:1female. Absolute fecundity up to 1,180pelagic eggs of 0.7 mm in diameter. Food include zooplanktonin young and macrophytes, filamentous algae,crustaceans, insects and fish in adults.