| Main Ref. | Shireman, J.V. and C.R. Smith, 1983 |
| Appearance refers to | Male; Female |
| Bones in OsteoBase |
| Specialized organs | no special organs |
| Different appearance | different morphology during breeding season only |
| Different colors | males alike females |
| Remarks |
| Striking features | none |
| Body shape lateral | fusiform / normal |
| Cross section | |
| Dorsal head profile | clearly concave |
| Type of eyes | more or less normal |
| Type of mouth/snout | more or less normal |
| Position of mouth | sub-terminal/inferior |
| Type of scales | cycloid scales |
| Diagnosis |
Diagnosis: No barbels; snout very short, its length less than or equal to eye diameter; postorbital length more than half head length (Ref. 4967). 18 soft rays for caudal fin (Ref. 40476). Diagnosed from rather similar species Mylopharyngodon piceus by having the following characters: body olive to brassy green above, silvery white to yellow below; body cylindrical; pharyngeal teeth laterally compressed, serrated, with a groove along grinding surface, usually in two rows, 2,5-4,2 (Ref. 59043). Description: Body sub-cylindrical (Ref. 52193). Head pointed; mouth terminal; eyes nearer tip of snout than hind margin of head, lateral in position (Ref. 52193). Dorsal fin with 3 unbranched and 7-8 branched rays; anal fin with 3 unbranched and 8 branched rays; dorsal fin short, midway between tip of snout and end of caudal peduncle, origin slightly in front of pelvic fins (Ref. 52193). Scales in lateral line 37-42; 16 scales around caudal peduncle (Ref. 52193). Colouration: Body silvery, head and fins dark grey (Ref. 52193). |
| Ease of Identification |
| Lateral Lines | 1 Interrupted: No |
| Scales on lateral line | 37 - 45 |
| Pored lateral line scales | |
| Scales in lateral series | |
| Scale rows above lateral line | |
| Scale rows below lateral line | |
| Scales around caudal peduncle | |
| Barbels | 0 |
| Gill clefts (sharks/rays only) | absent |
| Gill rakers | |
| on lower limb | |
| on upper limb | |
| total | 12 - 12 |
| Vertebrae | |
| preanal | |
| total |
| Attributes | no striking attributes |
| Fins number | 1 |
| Finlets No. | Dorsal 0 - 0 |
| Ventral 0 - 0 | |
| Spines total | 0 - 0 |
| Soft-rays total | 10 - 11 |
| Adipose fin | absent |
| Attributes | forked; more or less normal |
| Fins number | 1 |
| Spines total | 0 - 0 |
| Soft-rays total | 10 - 14 |
| Pectoral | Attributes more or less normal |
| Spines 1 | |
| Soft-rays 15 - 20 | |
| Pelvics | Attributes more or less normal |
| Position abdominal beneath origin of D1 | |
| Spines 1 | |
| Soft-rays 6 - 8 |