Taxonomy & naming
Howes described Mochokiella paynei in 1980. The Catalog of Fishes (Eschmeyer, CAS) lists it as valid, authority Howes, 1980, in Mochokidae, the squeakers and upside-down catfishes. The genus name is a diminutive of Mochokus, a related genus. The type locality is the Kassawe Forest Reserve, Sierra Leone, which is the only place FishBase records for it.
Morphology
FishBase gives a maximum of 1.5 in SL. Like other mochokids it has branched barbels and a stout spine at the front of the dorsal and pectoral fins, which can produce a squeaking sound when the fish is handled.
Habitat
FishBase records a freshwater demersal fish known only from the type locality, the Kasewe Forest Reserve in the Jong/Pampana River basin of Sierra Leone. The temperature range is 72–75 °F. No pH or hardness is recorded.
Feeding
FishBase records no diet. Small mochokids take tiny invertebrates, and aquarium keepers use baby brine shrimp, small bloodworm and fine sinking foods.
Mating
FishBase records distinct pairing during breeding.
Breeding
FishBase records the species as oviparous. Egg numbers, spawning sites and any parental care are not recorded, and no breeding record is available.
In the aquarium
A species for a quiet, small tank with leaf litter, roots and caves. At 1.5 in it needs gentle, small tankmates and a calm setting, and it feeds mostly at dusk and after dark. FishBase gives 72–75 °F, which is on the cool side for a tropical aquarium. Fish are scarce and any that appear were collected from a very small range.
Conservation
The IUCN Red List assesses the species as Least Concern (assessment of 30 November 2019), although the species is known from a single forest reserve. Habitat loss in the Jong basin is the factor that would change that rating.