is widely distributed in the southwest of the Yangtze River in China. To determine the morphological variations and distribution of five populations in the Yuanjiang River and Xijiang River basin, 147 samples were collected from main streams and tributaries and nine traditional morphological parameters and 21 truss network features were analyzed by three multivariate analysis methods. There were significant differences in the body area of each part of the lateral surface among the five populations, according to Friedman non-parametric tests. Cluster analysis divided the five populations into three groups:one in the main stream and tributary of the Xijiang River, one in the main stream of the Yuanjiang River and the Jinjiang River tributary, and the other in the Qingshuijiang River. Six principal components were extracted by principal component analysis, and the cumulative contribution to the total variance was 81.93%. The characters of higher contribution rate were concentrated in the caudal peduncle, the head, and the anterior part of trunk. Discriminant analysis screened 10 characters of the head and caudal peduncle and established discriminant functions for the five populations, with a range of individual discrimination accuracy between 92% and 100%. Our results suggest that there are significant morphological differences among in the five populations of the Yuanjiang River and the Xijiang River basin, which provide basic data for population identification and resource evaluation for the species.