Taxonomy & naming
Plataplochilus terveri was originally described by the French ichthyologist Jacques Pellegrin in 1927, and the parenthetical authority in its binomial — (Pellegrin, 1927) — signals that the genus combination has been revised since the original description. The species sits within Plataplochilus, a small West and Central African genus in the family Procatopodidae (subfamily Procatopodinae), the clade of non-annual African lampeye killifishes. Subsequent taxonomic work by J.-H. Huber contributed to the modern placement of this and related species within Procatopodidae; the comparative genus-level study published in the Journal of Fish Biology (Wiley Online, doi:10.1111/jfb.14606) confirms the Procatopodidae classification for this Ogowe drainage lineage and documents co-occurrence of Plataplochilus with Hylopanchax species in the same basin.
Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes (Fricke, Eschmeyer & Fong) is the governing authority for the valid name Plataplochilus terveri. The species epithet honours a colleague; German-language lampeye literature (killifische.info) records this honorific etymology at the genus level alongside the characteristic iridescent eye-patch feature that defines the group. Within Plataplochilus, P. terveri is distinguished from congeners by its geographic occurrence in the upper Ogooué rather than the coastal or Lower Congo drainages occupied by other species in the genus.
Morphology
Plataplochilus terveri is a slender, laterally compressed killifish reaching approximately 2 in standard length (AquaticRepublic), making it one of the slightly larger representatives of the Procatopodidae. The body form is typical of the African lampeye guild: an elongated, streamlined shape with a dorsal fin set well back toward the caudal peduncle, a subterminal to terminal mouth angled slightly upward, and large eyes positioned high on the head. The iridescent supraocular patch — the 'lampeye' character after which the entire group is named — catches available light and produces a blue-green or silvery gleam that is especially visible in schools under aquarium lighting.
Detailed colour description for this species is sparse in the available literature. The genus Plataplochilus characteristically shows males with more vivid lateral banding and stronger fin colouration than females, consistent with the procatopodid pattern of moderate sexual dichromatism. Females are generally plainer and rounder-bodied when gravid. Size and maturity data beyond the 2 in maximum SL are not well documented for this species specifically.
Habitat
Plataplochilus terveri inhabits the small rivers, streams, and brooks of the Mpassa River system within the upper Ogooué drainage of southeastern Gabon (AquaticRepublic; FishBase). The upper Ogooué basin occupies a transition zone between equatorial rainforest and the drier savanna-forest mosaic of the interior plateau, and the streams here are typically clear, moderately flowing, shaded by gallery forest, and fed by seasonal rainfall. The fish is associated with permanent water bodies rather than seasonal or ephemeral pools — it is a non-annual species that requires perennial stream flow.
General lampeye ecology, as documented across the family, points to habitats characterised by clear water, moderate current, soft to slightly hard substrate, and dense marginal or submerged vegetation providing shelter and spawning sites. Temperatures for West and Central African forest lampeyes in this habitat type typically range from approximately 68–77 °F. Specific water chemistry data for the Mpassa system are not available in the current literature, but the geography suggests moderately soft, slightly acidic to near-neutral conditions consistent with interior Gabonese forest streams.
Feeding
No species-specific dietary data have been published for Plataplochilus terveri. By analogy with other small-stream Procatopodidae, the diet in the wild almost certainly consists of small invertebrates captured at or near the water surface and in the water column: chironomid larvae and pupae, small aquatic insects and their larvae, copepods, ostracods, and other zooplankton. The upturned mouth morphology characteristic of the group is an adaptation for surface and near-surface feeding, and many procatopodids are observed taking emerging insects and small invertebrates from the film.
In the aquarium, lampeyes in this size class typically accept small live and frozen invertebrate foods readily — daphnia, artemia nauplii, small bloodworm, and cyclops are standard offerings. The species is reported to be difficult to maintain (FishBase), suggesting that dietary variety and food quality are likely important factors in long-term success. Prepared dry foods may be accepted once the fish are settled, but meaty live and frozen items should form the dietary core.
Mating
Plataplochilus terveri is a non-annual lampeye that spawns continuously in permanent water rather than producing diapausing eggs in a seasonal burst. The mating system is consistent with the procatopodid model: males court females with lateral displays, spreading fins to present body colour and the iridescent supraocular patch. Courtship is persistent and can be energetic; males may harass females if a lone pair is confined in a small aquarium, making a group of several individuals in a well-planted tank a more stable social arrangement.
Mating occurs in open water or among fine-leaved plants and root tangles near the substrate or water margins. No spawning embrace or prolonged pairing is involved; the male aligns alongside the female and eggs and sperm are released simultaneously in small batches. This scatter-spawning strategy, depositing a few adhesive or mildly adhesive eggs at a time among vegetation over an extended period, is characteristic of the non-annual lampeye guild. The continuous, low-volume spawning pattern differs fundamentally from the single-season mass-spawning of annual killifishes.
Breeding
As a non-annual, Plataplochilus terveri produces eggs without a diapause requirement. Eggs are attached among fine-leaved plants, moss, or root tangles over days and weeks rather than buried in substrate. The number of eggs deposited at any one spawning event is small — a few to perhaps a dozen per session — but the female may spawn repeatedly over a long period. Egg incubation period at typical lampeye temperatures (68–77 °F) is likely in the range of 10–14 days, consistent with other procatopodids of similar size, though no published breeding reports for this species specifically have been traced.
In the aquarium, breeding can be encouraged by providing dense fine-leaved plants (java moss, hornwort, or synthetic spawning mops) where the adults will deposit adhesive eggs. The eggs or the spawning adults should be separated once egg-laying is confirmed, as adults may consume eggs and fry. Fry are small at hatching and require appropriately fine first foods — infusoria, paramecia, or commercial fry powder — before graduating to freshly hatched artemia nauplii. The difficulty of maintaining this species in captivity (FishBase) implies that water quality and temperature stability are critical through the fry stage.
In the aquarium
Plataplochilus terveri is a rarely kept and genuinely challenging species. FishBase explicitly notes it as very difficult to maintain, placing it at the more demanding end of the African lampeye spectrum. Aquarists who have attempted it recommend replicating the clear, well-oxygenated, moderately cool stream conditions of its native Gabonese habitat as closely as possible: soft to moderately hard water, near-neutral pH, temperatures around 68–75 °F, and gentle but consistent water flow. Stagnant or warm aquarium conditions are likely to cause rapid decline.
The species should be kept in a species-only or carefully matched small community of similarly sized, non-competitive fishes. A well-planted aquarium with subdued lighting, dark substrate, and open midwater swimming space suits the biology of the group. Because it is a surface-oriented schooling fish, a cover of floating plants or overhanging vegetation reduces wariness and encourages natural behaviour. A tight-fitting lid is essential, as lampeyes are capable jumpers.
The species is an uncommon find even in specialist killifish circles. It does not appear in the mainstream ornamental trade, and sourcing it requires contact with specialist killifish societies or breeders with access to wild-collected Gabonese material. Its rarity in captivity reflects both the difficulty of maintaining it and the limited collecting access to the upper Ogooué region.
Conservation
The IUCN Red List assessed Plataplochilus terveri as Endangered in 2009, reflecting the species' restricted distribution within the Mpassa River system of the upper Ogooué drainage in southeastern Gabon (AquaticRepublic). As a single-drainage endemic with a naturally small range, any degradation of the Mpassa catchment has the potential to affect the entire known population. The assessment year of 2009 means the species has not been formally re-evaluated for over fifteen years, and conditions across equatorial African freshwater systems have continued to change.
The primary threats to freshwater biodiversity in this part of Gabon include deforestation and agricultural encroachment in the river catchment, which destabilises stream banks, increases sediment load, raises water temperatures, and reduces the shading and organic input that structure the food web supporting small insectivorous fishes. Mining activity in the interior of Gabon also poses a risk to water quality in forest streams. The species' non-annual life history, which ties it to permanent water, means it cannot survive even temporary drying or severe degradation of its streams the way some annual killies can by leaving dormant eggs in the soil.
No captive assurance population is known to exist. The species' presence in specialist aquarium collections, while limited, represents a potential conservation resource that the killifish hobby has not formally organised around this species. Targeted survey work in the upper Ogooué and an updated IUCN assessment would be valuable steps toward understanding its current status.