| Main Ref. | Talwar, P.K. and A.G. Jhingran, 1991 |
| Appearance refers to | |
| Bones in OsteoBase |
| Specialized organs | |
| Different appearance | |
| Different colors | |
| Remarks |
| Striking features | striking fins |
| Body shape lateral | short and / or deep |
| Cross section | compressed |
| Dorsal head profile | clearly convex |
| Type of eyes | more or less normal |
| Type of mouth/snout | more or less normal |
| Position of mouth | superior |
| Type of scales | |
| Diagnosis |
Body elongate and strongly compressed. Mouth small, slightly protrusible; upper lip papillose, especially in old males. Preorbital serrate in young specimen. Color greenish with oblique orange or bluish bars descending downwards and backwards from the back to the anal fin. Vertical fins with alternating dark and pale spots or bars; the anal fin often with a red margin. |
| Ease of Identification |
| Lateral Lines | Interrupted: No |
| Scales on lateral line | 29 - 31 |
| 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) | |
| Gill rakers | |
| on lower limb | |
| on upper limb | |
| total | |
| Vertebrae | |
| preanal | |
| total | 27 |
| Attributes | last fin rays very elongated |
| Fins number | 1 |
| Finlets No. | Dorsal 0 - 0 |
| Ventral 0 - 0 | |
| Spines total | 15 - 17 |
| Soft-rays total | 9 - 14 |
| Adipose fin | absent |
| Attributes | pointed; confluent |
| Fins number | 1 |
| Spines total | 15 - 18 |
| Soft-rays total | 14 - 19 |
| Pectoral | Attributes more or less normal |
| Spines 0 | |
| Soft-rays 9 - 10 | |
| Pelvics | Attributes more or less normal |
| Position thoracic before origin of D1 | |
| Spines | |
| Soft-rays |