Book excerpt: Freshwater Fishes of the Eastern Himalayas provides a guide to describe the internationally accepted methods used in the accurate identification of fishes, morphometry, i.e., body proportions, meristics, i.e., counts of countable characters, viz., scales, fin rays, pores, vertebrae etc., characters of bones wherever necessary, special characters, viz., serrations of fin spines, axillary lobes, lobes, color patterns, etc. All the available taxa of the region are covered, making this an essential reference that provides the original description of genera and species. Diagnostic characters in the book can be easily examined by an unaided eye or by a binocular dissecting microscope with transmitted light. - Provides diagnostic characters which are unique for a species or a combination of characters to differentiate each species from its congeners - Includes both verbal and technical aspects, along with color illustrations of the particular part of the fish showing the distinguishing character - Presents diagnostic characters, illustrations or images of the fish and of its parts, showing the unique character and distribution to make it easy for species identification