Chocolate Australe Identification Guide

Key identification features

• Slender, torpedo-shaped body around 5-6 cm, typical of the lyretail killifish group
• Body color is a deep, warm chocolate-brown to reddish-bronze, often with a subtle golden sheen on the flanks
• Males show elongated, pointed extensions on the dorsal, anal, and especially caudal fin, forming a classic lyretail shape
• Fin edges may carry fine red or orange trim contrasting with the darker brown fin base
• Flattened head and an upturned mouth adapted for feeding at the surface
• Females are shorter-finned and plain tan-brown, lacking the elaborate lyretail extensions of males

Common look-alikes

• Steel-blue Killifish: shares the lyretail fin shape but is cool blue-grey rather than warm chocolate-brown
• Rachovi Killifish: much more vividly patterned with bold red-and-blue bars instead of a solid brown body
• Golden Topminnow: lacks the lyretail fin extensions and has a more olive-gold rather than chocolate coloration

Where you'll see one

This is a captive-bred color strain of the West African lyretail killifish, kept in home aquariums rather than found wild in this exact form; its wild ancestor inhabits shaded forest streams and swampy pools in coastal West Africa, favoring soft, tannin-stained water.