A member of the Puntius conchonius species group which can be distinguished from all its congeners in that group by a combination of the following characters: maxillary barbels present, minute; lateral line abbreviated, on 5-8 scales; circumpeduncular scales 12; dorsal, anal and pelvic fins in adult males hyaline, margined with black and crossed by two or three rows of contrasting deep black spots; humeral spot vertically elongate, three or more scales deep; caudal peduncle blotch covering parts of one or two scales, and indistinct in adult males. Similar only to P. didi, sharing abbreviated lateral line, presence of maxillary barbels, 12 circumpeduncular scales, and colour pattern including both vertically extended humeral blotch and caudal peduncle blotch, other vertical bars absent. Can be separated from P.didi in extension of humeral blotch which reaches ventrally to lateral line scales, vs. extending down to level of pectoral fin base in P. didi; in colour pattern of adult males in which sides yellowish white with contrasting brown blotches at scale bases and abdomen dark pigmented, vs. sides lightly pigmented, gradually lighter ventrally, abdomen whitish in males of P. didi; pelvic fins in males hyaline with two rows of deep black spots and deep black marginal band vs. pelvic fins either without dark markings or blackish marginal stripe and single row of black spots across middle of fin in P. didi; anal fin in males hyaline with deep black margin and two or three rows of deep black spots, vs. blackish margin and at most one row of blackish spots in P. didi; males with conspicuous red colour along middle of side from opercle to base of caudal fin vs. red colour absent from sides in males of P. didi (Ref. 79001).