A later al br ight band along the later al line.Belly white, fins pale to translucent grey. Peritoneumbrown to black. Body compressed with a rounded belly.Mouth large and terminal, jaws reaching back to anterioreye level. A rows of setiform teeth on jaws, vomer andpalatines. Gill raker with spinules, long and reachingabout 7 rakers along arch when appressed. Cycloidscales extending onto head. Pectoral fin high on flank.Vent remote from anal fin by 4-5 scales, nearer to pelvicfin origin than anal fin. Lower jaw symphysis fits into anotch in upper jaw. Gut S-shaped. No pyloric caeca. Insea, lagoons and river mouths with salinity of 1-12‰ andtemperature of 0-31ºC. Enters rivers to spawn. Maximumage 5 years, total length 170 mm and weight 18 g. Maturityin first year. Sex ratio 1male:1female. Mass migrationin mid March to mid April. Spawning intermittentfrom April to August with a peak in mid May to midJune in coastal areas. A female may spawn 5-6 times inone season. Only one gonad develops. Absolute fecundityup to 5500 light yellow eggs with a diameter of up to2 mm. Larvae pelagic. Food include plankton, eggs andjuvenile fishes, crustaceans and detritus.