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Background
Although nearly every fishkeeper in the world keeps a livebearer - often all of the big four - at one time or another, the other side of the "toothcarp" coin is largely ignored. Killifish, although an obsession for a certain few, are rarely found in fish stores, often completely unknown to beginning or intermediate fishkeepers, and will likely never acheive the kind of popularity that their close relatives the guppy, platy, mollie, and swordtail will enjoy for decades to come.
There is, however, a killi that can be found in the occasional store, is hardy, attractive, prolific, and a good choice for many a community tank. The bright males of the species are hard to pass over, and the females have their own charm. This fish is the "Golden Wonder," a color morph of Aplocheilus Lineatus. The "Striped Killifish" lost its bars during the transformation into a chain store regular, but acquired a golden sheen that pulls in people who've ever so much as heard the word killifish.
Care
Golden Wonders are about as easy to care for as their guppy cousins. They have a few special requirements, though - first, the tank must be securely covered! Every tank should be, but killis are always particular jumpers and wonders have more power behind their jumps than most. They can sail halfway across the room if you let them, so cover the tank.
Second, remember that these are big fish with big mouths. Forget the stereotype of tiny, weak fish that must be housed alone. If that's what you want in a killi, get some beautiful P. annulatus or stunning N. rachovii. Golden Wonders are big, robust, and happy to gulp down anything that will fit in their mouths. The grow quickly and usually hit around 4", although males have been reported as large as 7". Because they're such devoted surface dwellers and so large, they can be kept with many species that would soon kill other killis, including many middle- and bottom-dwelling cichlids.
Sexing
For the Golden Wonder variety, sexing is quite easy. Although quite juvenile fish may be a bit more of a challenge, any Wonder over 1" long is easily sexed by color alone. Males are bright, flashy yellow, or have the obvious potential. Females are a dull silver, although let it be said that adult females are subtle stunners. Occasionally one hears about someone who bought "the prettiest ones in the tank" and now wants to breed them - that may be problematic, since the "prettiest ones" will all be male. Males have longer fins and a longer pintail, with hints of red at the borders.
 For the wild-type "Tiger" variety, I can personally vouch for their difficulties - depite knowing my way around a Golden, I bought a Tiger on the false assumption that he was a she. In any case color alone won't do with Tigers but size and finnage are better clues. Male (and female) tigers will resemble female Wonders with vertical stripes when young; males become more colorful as they age.
Breeding
Breeding is fairly easy; one reason Wonders have become the killi of choice for pet stores is their fecundity. Provide spawning mops or some alternative and they'll soon be laying more eggs than you know what to do with. The fry are a bit larger than many killi fry and although it's safest to raise themin a tank full of java moss and insuforia, they can soon be moved to bigger foods like newly hatched brine shrimp.
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Scientific name: Aplocheilus lineatus
Common names: Golden Wonder, Tiger Killi, Striped panchax
Synonyms: Aplocheilus affinis, Aplocheilus vittatus, Haplochilus lineatus, Panchax lineatum, Aplocheilus lineolatus
Origin: Asia, esp. India and Sri Lanka
Niche: Topdwelling, stagnant areas
Optimal pH: 6.6-8.0
Optimal GH: 5-20 degrees
Optimal temperature: 75-78F (23-26C)
Adult length: Males to 7"(18cm), females to 4"(11cm)
Diet: Carnivore
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