No photo of the living fish exists. We know it's black, big (gularis size), and found on an island off the Niger Delta, but that's it. The only people who have seen this fish alive were the collectors who placed the fish in formalin when captured.

"The species endemic to Nigeria and is only known from one locality in the delta. Described in 1994 but no other records exist despite intensive survey. No one has been able to resurvey the type locality due to civil unrest in the delta. Given that there is an oil terminal on the type locality there is a strong possibility the species will be extinct - more survey is required. The population is likely to be very small with less than 50 mature individuals."

"Fundulopanchax powelli is endemic to the Niger River delta, Nigeria. This species is known only from the type locality, a temporary pool on an unnamed island, West-Northwest of Warri, in the western part of the Niger River delta, Delta State, Southern Nigeria. The island is formed by the Encravos River, Nana Creek and Jones Creek. The pool involved is situated at the edge of an isolated freshwater seasonal swamp forest, on an old beach ridge in the mangrove zone at Bakakodia." - IUCN