[2] Fish of the subfamily Parakysinae are primarily found in the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Sarawak, and western and southern Borneo.

[2] Akysids are small to minute fishes with cryptic colouration, tiny eyes, and completely covered with unculiferous plaques or tubercles.

[1] The dorsal fin has a strong spine and a short base, and usually four or five soft rays and four pairs of barbels are found.

The pectoral fin has a strong spine, and the anterior margin has a notch visible dorsally and usually serrated posteriorly.

The head and body are covered with rounded tubercles arranged in longitudinal rows in Acrochordontichthys and Breitensteinia or evenly distributed in Parakysis.