Devario pathirana differs from all its congeners by the combination of the following characters: body consisting of 8-9 dark, irregular bars between pectoral-fin origin and caudal-peduncle origin; absence of P+1 and P-1 stripes; body depth 30-33 %SL; snout length less than eye diameter; 14-15 predorsal scales; dorsal fin with 11½-12½ branched rays; anal fin with 14½ branched rays; a blunt, knob-like process on 1st infraorbital; presence of danionin notch; origin of dorsal fin to hypural distance when carried forward reaching middle of eye; pectoral fin, when adpressed, just reaching origin of pelvic fin (Ref. 118056).

Description: Dorsal fin with 3 simple and 11-12 branched rays; anal fin with 3 simple and 13-15 branched rays; pectoral fin with one simple and 11-13 branched rays; and pelvic fin with one simple and 7 branched rays (Ref. 6874).