Epiplatys

The clown killifish, Epiplatys annulatus, is a small killifish from coastal lowlands of southern Guinea, Sierra Leone and northwestern Liberia. Also traded as 'rocket killifish' and 'banded panchax', it has four very broad dark bars alternating with yellowish ones. Fin colour varies between populations, which aquarists keep labelled by locality, and it is relatively easy to breed.

The red-chinned panchax, Epiplatys dageti, is a killifish from coastal savanna in southwestern Ghana, southern Côte d'Ivoire and southern Liberia. An aquarium stalwart since the red-throated form was first exported from Monrovia in 1908, it is relatively hardy and easy to breed, and a good choice for those new to killifishes. The Monrovia fish is often labelled E. dageti monroviae in aquarium literature.

The banded epiplatys, Epiplatys fasciolatus, is a killifish from coastal Guinea-Bissau, Guinea and Sierra Leone to western Liberia. It mostly inhabits freshwater swamps and minor tributary streams, in grassy savannah at some localities and rainforest at others. Males carry metallic blue or green pigmentation on the body and fins, with a red submarginal band on the anal and lower caudal fins.

The red-spotted panchax, Epiplatys lamottei, is a killifish with a restricted range in southeastern Guinea and northern Liberia. Known from the upper Niger, Lofa, Saint Paul and Saint John drainages, it inhabits small streams and minor tributaries, and is threatened by deforestation and mining across some of its range. The flanks carry large dark bars and longitudinal bands made up of small red spots.

Epiplatys mesogramma is a killifish endemic to the Ubangi (or Oubangui) River drainage in southwestern Central African Republic. The Ubangi is the largest right-bank tributary of the Congo and drains an enormous region, but this species is known from only a handful of localities.

The six-barred panchax, Epiplatys sexfasciatus, is a killifish from coastal regions between Gabon and Ghana. Well established in the hobby in several forms, it has a confusing taxonomy, and some authors restrict it to northwestern Gabon and Equatorial Guinea and treat other populations as subspecies. It mostly inhabits freshwater swamps and minor tributary streams, and is relatively easy to breed.