African freshwater fish, 6 cm/2.4 in long, whose tail has two outward-curving fin supports for a central fin area which looks like the strings of a lyre. The male is bright blue with red markings; the less brightly coloured female has plainer fins. (Species Aphyosemion australe.)

Lyretails lay their eggs in mud at the bottom of swamps. In the event of a drought, the eggs usually survive in a dormant state and hatch with the next rainfall.