The dwarf paradise fish is the smallest species of threadfin which has an elongated body with a large oblique and turned down mouth. It has two separate [[dorsal fin]]s, the first of which has 8 spines and the second which has a single spine and 11-14 soft rayswhilerays while the [[anal fin]] has 3 spines and 10 -12 soft rays. The base of the anal fin is shorter than that of the second dorsal fin. The [[caudal fin]] has long lobes with the lower usually being the longest; normally it is longer than the distance from the snout to the start of the second dorsal fin. The [[pectoral fin]]s have 12 to 14 simple raysandrays and are located near the midline of the body and may extend beyond the rear end of the anal fin's base. It has 6 or 7 pectoral filaments; with the fifth filament, the farthest back, being the longest, sometimes reaching past the end of the caudal fin. The pelvic fins reach beyond the anus. There are 50*60 scales in the [[lateral line]] which ndsends between the centre of the fork of the caudal fin and its first lower ray. This species has its body and head coloured yellow, shading to black on the back, with bright orange fins. The pectoral filaments are deep vermilion in colour.<ref name = FAO>{{cite book | url = http://www.fao.org/3/y5398e/y5398e04.pdf | author = Hiroyuki Motomura | author2 = Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations | name-list-style = amp | year = 2004 | series = FAO species identification field guide for fishery purposes | volume = 3 | title = Threadfins of the World (family Polynemidae): An Annotated and Illustrated Catalogue of Polynemid Species Known to Date | publisher = Food & Agriculture Org.}}</ref> The maximum [[Fish measurement|standard length]] of {{convert|11|cm|in}}.<ref name = Fishbase>{{Fishbase|Parapolynemus|verekeri|month=December|year=2019}}</ref>
