Embryonic development of Odontobutis platycephala was observed. The peculiarities of eggs and development of this species are similar to those of O. obscura interrupta. O. platycephala swims along the water bottom because of its poorly developed air bladder, whereas O. o. interrupta has a well developed air bladder and rises in the water at the feeding stage. In O. platycephala, xanthophores are observed at a later stage and are weaker than in O. o. interrupta. The differences between O. platycephala and O. o. interrupta may relate to the habitat of adults; the former occurs in the middle and upper reaches of rivers, whereas the latter lives in the lower reaches and the slow-moving regions of middle reaches of rivers.