Typical African Lampeyes

Procatopodidae, the African lampeyes, are a family of ray-finned fish in the order Cyprinodontiformes.

They were formerly treated as a subfamily (Procatopodinae) of the Poecilidae. Despite containing mostly African genera (including Pantanodon), the South American Fluviphylax was also placed in it as its own tribe. However, more recent studies have found this treatment to be paraphyletic; Pantanodontidae, Fluviphylacidae, and Procatopodidae are their own families distinct from Poecilidae, and the former two are distinct from Procatopodidae as well. Meanwhile, the Aplocheilichthyinae, previously treated as a separate subfamily of Poecilidae, are known to belong to the Procatopodidae. This family is thought to be the sister group to the clade comprising Aphaniidae and Valenciidae.