Diagnosis: Body rather cylindrical, belly rounded, with 5-6, rarely 3 or 4, sharp needle-like pre-pelvic scutes; maxilla tip pointed, projecting beyond second supra-maxilla and reaching to sub-operculum; isthmus short, preceded by a small bony plate on urohyal between branchial membranes; lower gillrakers 20-27; unbranched dorsal and anal finrays 3, anal fin short, with usually 15-17 branched finrays; in life, a bright silver band on flank, with a thin blue line above, back blue/grey (Ref. 189). It closely resembles Encrasicholina heteroloba, which has only 2 unbranched dorsal and anal finrays, a dull silver/grey band on flank, and the back beige; Encrasicholina oligobranchus has only 17-18 gillrakers; other species of Encrasicholina have a fleshy urohyal plate and a maxilla tip blunt and not projecting beyond the second supra-maxilla; species of Stolephorus have a long isthmus reaching to the margin of the branchial membrane (Ref. 189).

Description: Body rather cylindrical, belly rounded (Ref. 189). Snout prominent; tip of maxilla pointed (Ref. 2871, 30573). A small silvery plate in front of isthmus (Ref. 2871). Number of gill rakers on upper limb 19-21 and on lower limb 20-27 (Ref. 189, 122132). With 3 unbranched dorsal- and anal-fin rays; anal fin origin behind base of last dorsal-fin ray (Ref. 30573). With 3-6 sharp needle-like pre-pelvic scutes, no post-pelvic scutes (Ref. 189, 30573).

Colouration: In life, a bright silver band on flank, with a thin blue line above, back blue/grey (Ref. 189, 30573). A small silvery plate in front of isthmus (Ref. 30573).