[5] The species is most commonly found in coastal floodplains near the Southwest Indian states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

Adults differ from all other South Asian Puntius by a combination of the following characters:branched dorsal-fin rays prolonged into filament-like extensions in adult males only; a black band about as wide as the eye near tip of each caudal-fin lobe; lower lip continuous; a caudal blotch on 2-5 scales, commencing posterior to anal-fin origin; no distinct markings on body in advance of anal-fin origin.

[8]Endemic to but widespread within the Western Ghats mountains region of southern India in the states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and possibly restricted to the south of the Karnataka.

Type locality is 'Alleppey', also known as Alappuzha, situated between Vembanad Lake and the Arabian Sea, Kerala state, southwestern India[7] According to Pethiyagoda and Kottelat (2005) this species is most common in lowland coastal floodplains.

[7] Along the rivers of Kerala, these fishes grow in abundance and due to its high diet of worms and insects, they are easily caught with baits by fishermen especially during the monsoon season when they are more widely found.