Astenocypris papyracea (Sars, 1903) has been found in paddyfields in Kerala, India. This is the first rediscovery of this enigmatic species since its original description from an unknown locality in Sumatra, almost 90 years ago. Astenocypris (the new name for Leptocypris) is a monospecific genus and, as the original description was incomplete, its exact taxonomic position has long been uncertain. Relying on the present redescription, we can confirm its allocation to the subfamily Cypricercinae, although a number of features hint at a relationship with the Isocypridinae. © 1993 The Linnean Society of London.