Taxonomy & naming
Epiplatys lamottei was described by Jacques Daget in 1954, with the type locality in southeastern Guinea near the Liberian border in the upper Niger system. The species belongs to the genus Epiplatys — a West and Central African panchax genus within the family Nothobranchiidae — and is placed in the informal Epiplatys chaperi group alongside related spotted panchax species of the Guinea–Sierra Leone region. Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes (Fricke, Eschmeyer & Fong) recognises Epiplatys lamottei Daget, 1954 as the valid name; no synonyms are in widespread use.
The specific epithet lamottei honours the French naturalist Maxime Lamotte, who collected extensively in Guinea and contributed substantially to knowledge of the West African fauna during the mid-twentieth century. The generic name Epiplatys derives from Greek epi (on, above) and platys (flat, broad), alluding to the flat-topped head and upturned mouth that characterise these surface-oriented hunters.
Within the killifish hobby the species is sometimes grouped under the marketing label 'panchax', a term applied loosely to many Epiplatys and related surface-dwelling killies. Radda's colour atlas of African cyprinodonts noted that E. lamottei occupies a small endemic area around its type locality and does not intergrade with neighbouring Epiplatys species, supporting its recognition as a distinct taxon.
Morphology
Epiplatys lamottei reaches a maximum recorded total length of 3 in (FishBase), though aquarium-reared individuals often remain slightly smaller. The body is slender and laterally compressed toward the rear, with the typical panchax silhouette: a flattened dorsal profile, an upturned, terminal mouth set at the top of the snout, and eyes positioned high on the head — all adaptations for feeding at or just below the water surface.
Colouration is the species' most striking feature. The flanks carry a series of vivid red or orange-red spots arranged in roughly horizontal rows against a greenish-yellow to olive base; the intensity of the spotting and the iridescent sheen of the flank scales are most pronounced in dominant males in good condition. The dorsal and anal fins may carry red pigmentation and a yellowish to clear margin. The caudal fin is rounded to slightly pointed in males.
Sexual dimorphism is moderate. Males are more vividly coloured, slimmer in body profile, and develop more extended unpaired fins than females. Females are deeper-bodied, especially when gravid, and show a plainer colouration with less vivid spotting. The species resembles other members of the E. chaperi group but can be distinguished by the combination of spot pattern, fin colouration, and geography.
Habitat
Epiplatys lamottei occupies a geographically tight range: field records and literature place it in southeastern Guinea and the immediately adjacent area of northern Liberia, within tributaries and coastal swamps draining toward the upper Niger system. This is a region of dense West African forest and woodland, where the fish inhabits small, slow-moving or standing water bodies — shaded brooks, forest edge pools, and coastal swamps with abundant marginal and emergent vegetation.
Field water chemistry recorded in the British Killifish Association literature is alkaline: pH 7.5–7.8 with relatively low total hardness (dH 1.0–1.5), indicating soft to very soft but neutrally to slightly basic water — somewhat counterintuitive for a forest-stream fish, but consistent with geology rather than organic acid loading. FishBase records pH 7.0–7.8 and hardness of 3–5 dH, with a temperature range of 70–73 °F. These are cool to warm conditions for a West African lowland fish, reflecting the species' preferred shaded, forested microhabitats where canopy cover moderates water temperature.
The habitat is permanent or near-permanent — E. lamottei is classified as a non-annual species whose waters do not undergo the full dry-season desiccation that would demand diapausing eggs. Aquatic and semi-aquatic vegetation appears to be integral to its ecology, providing both spawning substrate and cover from predators for surface-dwelling adults.
Feeding
Like all members of the genus Epiplatys, E. lamottei is an insectivore specialising in prey at or near the water surface. The upturned mouth and dorsally placed eyes are morphological signatures of a surface ambusher: the fish holds station just beneath the water film, scanning above for terrestrial insects, mosquito larvae, or any small invertebrate that falls or swims within range.
In nature the diet consists primarily of small insects and their aquatic larvae — mosquito larvae, midges, chironomids, and other surface-associated invertebrates form the core of the wild diet. American Killifish Association notes confirm the species as an insectivore feeding on small insects. In captivity E. lamottei readily accepts live and frozen Daphnia, Artemia nauplii, bloodworm (Chironomus larvae), and mosquito larvae; it will also learn to take small dried and granular foods presented at the surface, though it typically prefers moving prey. Feeding at the surface or in the upper water column, rather than from the bottom, is strongly preferred and should be accommodated in aquarium husbandry.
Mating
Epiplatys lamottei is a non-annual plant spawner — its reproductive strategy is fundamentally different from that of the annual killies that bury diapausing eggs in peat. In permanent or near-permanent water, there is no selective pressure to concentrate reproduction into a brief pre-desiccation window; instead, E. lamottei spawns continuously or intermittently throughout the year, depositing small numbers of adhesive eggs among fine-leaved aquatic plants, floating plant roots, Java moss, or artificial spawning mops near the water surface.
Courting males display prominently to females, flaring fins and presenting the full lateral colour pattern in a side-by-side or angled display. The pair then move to a plant stem or mop strand, and a brief spawning embrace deposits one or a few eggs at a time. This low-investment-per-event strategy means that breeding is drawn out over days or weeks rather than concentrated in a single explosive event. Adults do not guard eggs or fry and will consume them given the opportunity, so eggs and spawning medium should be checked and removed regularly in managed breeding setups.
Males are competitive and dominant males will harass subordinates; in a small tank a single pair or a small group with one male per female is advisable to reduce stress on less dominant fish.
Breeding
Spawning mops of dark synthetic wool or Java moss are the standard breeding medium for E. lamottei in the aquarium. The pair should be conditioned on live and frozen foods before being placed together; a well-planted tank or a dedicated breeding tank with floating spawning mops at the surface suits the species' preference for upper-water-column egg deposition.
Eggs are adhesive and relatively large for the fish's size, clear to pale amber in colour, and are deposited singly or in small clusters. They incubate in water at the prevailing tank temperature — no diapause, no peat burial. At 70–73 °F incubation takes roughly 10–14 days; hatching produces small but well-formed fry that are immediately free-swimming and surface-seeking. First foods should be very fine: infusoria or commercial fry powder for the first few days, graduating quickly to freshly hatched Artemia nauplii and micro-worm as the fry grow. Because E. lamottei fry are surface-oriented from the outset, surface-applied food reaches them efficiently.
Breeding water should reflect the field chemistry: soft to very soft, neutral to slightly alkaline (pH 7.0–7.8), cool side of the tropical range (70–73 °F). The species is not especially demanding in breeding but benefits from stability and the absence of disturbance; cover in the form of floating plants or mops reduces stress on the spawning pair.
In the aquarium
Epiplatys lamottei is a relatively undemanding killifish well suited to the specialist killi keeper and to the broader aquarist with an interest in West African biotope setups. Seriously Fish recommends a tank of at least 80 × 12 in footprint for a group, and a tight-fitting lid is essential — like most surface-oriented killies, E. lamottei is an accomplished jumper and will exploit any gap. A darkened background and floating plants reduce stress and bring out the best colour in males.
Water chemistry should target the field parameters: pH 7.0–7.8, very soft to soft hardness, temperature 70–73 °F. The species does not require acidic blackwater conditions. Filtration should be gentle — strong flow is unnatural for a fish from still to slow-moving forest water — and surface agitation should be minimal to avoid disturbing the film where the fish hunts and spawns. Regular small water changes maintain quality without introducing chemical instability.
Epiplatys lamottei is a peaceful species relative to many killies and can be combined with other small, non-competitive West African fish of similar size in a species or biotope tank. It should not be kept with larger, boisterous species that will stress it or outcompete it at the surface. Males may quarrel among themselves but rarely cause serious damage in a tank with sufficient space and visual cover. The species is not commonly encountered in the general trade but is maintained and exchanged through killifish clubs and specialist breeders, making contact with the American Killifish Association or British Killifish Association the most reliable route to obtaining stock.
Conservation
The IUCN Red List assessed Epiplatys lamottei as Least Concern (LC) in January 2020, noting that the species does not meet the threshold criteria for a threatened category. The LC designation, however, should be read against the backdrop of an inherently small range: E. lamottei is endemic to a restricted area spanning southeastern Guinea and northern Liberia, and any habitat loss within that zone directly affects the entire known population.
Both Guinea and Liberia have experienced substantial deforestation and agricultural expansion in the lowland forest zones where E. lamottei occurs. Conversion of shaded forest streams and swamps to farmland, logging, and the degradation of riparian vegetation remove the canopy cover and emergent plant communities on which this surface-oriented, plant-spawning species depends. Siltation from land clearing raises turbidity in small forest streams. Introduced mosquitofish (Gambusia spp.) and other invasive species have impacted killifish communities across West Africa, though the extent of this pressure on E. lamottei specifically has not been formally quantified.
The species' restricted range means that even localised threats — a new road, a drainage scheme, or the conversion of a single watershed — could affect a substantial proportion of the total population. Ongoing monitoring of its type locality and the broader upper Niger forest-stream habitat in Guinea is warranted, and the killifish hobby's role in maintaining viable captive populations provides a meaningful insurance reservoir for a species whose wild range offers little buffer against landscape-scale change.