Diagnosis: Body moderately deep, compressed, belly with strongly keeled scutes, 17-20 pre-pelvic and 8-10 post-pelvic scutes, with a total of total 25-29 scutes (Ref. 188, 6867). Eye large; lower jaw projecting; upper jaw with a toothed hypomaxillary bone between hind tip of pre-maxilla and lower bulge of maxilla blade; lower gillrakers 22-27; dorsal fin origin near midpoint of body; pelvic fins present; anal fin with 34-42 finrays; scales with upper and lower vertical striae slightly overlapping each other at centre of scales (Ref. 188). It closely resembles Pellona dayi, which has only 20-21 lower gillrakers and the vertical scale striae not meeting at centre of scale; species of Ilisha have no hypomaxilla; other pristigasterids are much more slender and lack pelvic fins (Ref. 188).

Description: Body fairly deep and compressed, its depth 25 to 36% of standard length (Ref. 6867). Lower jaw very prominent, toothed hypomaxilla present in upper jaw; eyes large, about 30% of head length (Ref. 6867, 30573). Gillrakers 22-27 on lower arm of first arch (Ref. 188, 3259, 6867). Dorsal fin with 3-4 unbranched rays and 13-16 branched rays, its origin about midway between snout-tip and caudal fin base; pectoral fin with 1 unbranched ray and 13-17 branched rays; pelvic fins, with 1 unbranched ray and 6 branched rays, slightly in advance of dorsal-fin origin; anal fin fairly long, with 3-4 unbranched rays and 31-38 branched rays, its origin slightly behind dorsal-fin base (Ref. 3259, 6867). Scales on lateral line 37-44; scales with vertical striae discontinuous, but slightly overlapping in scale centre (Ref. 3259, 11441). Belly with strongly keeled scutes; 17-20 pre-pelvic scutes, 8-10 post-pelvic scutes, total 25-29 scutes (Ref. 3259, 6867).

Colouration: Back blue-brown, flanks silvery; fins hyaline (Ref. 3259, 6867).