Fishes of the cyprinid genus Pethia are diagnosed from other cyprinid genera by a suite of characters that includes small adult size (usually less than 50 mm standard length (SL), exceptionally up to 80 mm SL), absence of rostral barbels, absence or rudimentary maxillary barbels, last unbranched dorsal-fin ray stiff and serrated, 3 to 4 unbranched and 8 branched dorsal-fin rays, 3 unbranched and 5 branched anal-fin rays, lateral line complete, interrupted or incomplete with 19–24 scales in lateral series, and a unique color pattern consisting of a humeral spot, a black blotch on the caudal peduncle, and in some species, black blotches, spots or bars on the body. Pethia are distributed throughout South and Southeast Asia, from Sri Lanka and peninsular India in the west, to Myanmar in the east.