Abstract: To explore the characteristics and correlation between liver color and fat accumulation in dead Bahaba taipingensis at different growth and culture stages, we took 4-month-old juveniles, 14-month-old juveniles, accidentally recaptured individuals of the same released batch, and 36-month-old adults as research subjects. We measured morphological indices, observed liver histological changes via Oil Red O and hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining, and quantitatively anaylzed the hepatic fat-positive rate by image analysis. The results showed that liver color of B. taipingensis differed significantly at different growth stages, and the livers could be divided into normal and abnormal color groups according to color shade. Histological observation indicated that normal-color group presented intact hepatocyte structure with fine and uniformly distributed lipid droplets; the abnormal-color group showed typical pathological features including lipid droplet fusion, nuclear compression and displacement, and narrowed hepatic sinusoids. After standardized chromatic grading of liver color, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis revealed that both liver color and maximum diameter of hepatocellular lipid droplet could effectively distinguish normal livers from fatty liver lesions (AUC>0.7). Moreover, field-released individuals exhibited a lower hepatic fat-positive rate than indoor-cultured ones from the same batch. Liver color was highly correlated with the degree of hepatic lipid accumulation in dead B. taipingensis individuals. Severe lipid deposition was observed in livers with deep yellow, grayish-white and khaki yellow color, while mild lipid accumulation was detected in deep red livers. In conclusoin, liver color can serve as a convenient on-site screening index for fatty liver in B. taipingensis, and has practical significance for the healthy culture and precise management of this species.