Diagnosis: Body slender, its depth 19-27% of standard length; pre-pelvic scutes fairly strongly keeled, beginning under or just before pectoral fin base, 11-13 pre-pelvic and 10-12 post-pelvic scutes; snout pointed; lower jaw not projecting, included in upper when mouth closed, deepest at mid-point of jaw, with small saw-like teeth on either side; pre-maxillae with rather peg-like teeth, those near mid-line pointing forward; maxilla very slender, its blade over 3 times as long as deep, upper edge ridged, lower edge without denticulations; posterior supra-maxilla very small, spatulate, its shaft about as long as its blade; lower gillrakers 16-18 (Ref. 188). It differs from Potamothrissa obtusirostris and P. whiteheadi in its pointed snout, more gillrakers, 16-18 vs. 14-16 and 14-17 respectively, and first pre-pelvic scute beginning under or just before pectoral fin base (Ref. 188, 28136). Other pellonulines lack saw-like teeth at the sides of the lower jaw (Ref. 188).

Description: Body slender, its depth 19-27% of standard length (Ref. 188). Caudal peduncle a little longer than deep (Ref. 1877, 1878, 93833). The upper profile of the head is a little less oblique than the lower profile; snout, acutely pointed and and projecting slightly beyond lower jaw, is as long as eye diameter, which is one third of head length and slightly exceeds interorbital width; maxillary extending a little beyond anterior border of eye; a well-developed adipose eye lid; teeth unequal in size, none very strongly enlarged (Ref. 1877, 1878). Gill-rakers slender, much shorter than branchial filaments, about 16-18 on lower part of anterior arch (Ref. 188, 1878, 93833). Dorsal fin with 13-14 rays, its origin above first ray of pelvic fin, much nearer end of snout than base of caudal fin; anal fin with 16-20 rays, its origin well behind last rays of dorsal fin, nearly twice as distant from base of pelvic fin as from caudal fin; pectoral fin not reaching pelvic fin; caudal fin forked, with pointed lobes (Ref. 1877, 1878, 93833). Scales: 36-42 scales in longitudinal series; 10 transversal scales (Ref. 1877, 1878, 93833). With 11-13 keeled pre-pelvic scutes and 10-12 post-pelvic scutes; pre-pelvic scutes fairly strongly keeled, beginning under or just before pectoral fin base (Ref. 188, 1877, 1878, 28136).

Colouration: Olive coloured dorsally, whitish ventrally, with a silvery lateral band; sometimes a large dark spot on gill-cover and scapular region, and another at base of caudal fin; iris silvery, with a yellow circle around the pupil, which is elongated vertically (Ref. 1877, 1878).