Esmaeilius vladykovi is a species of killifish in the family Aphaniidae endemic to a restricted area of the central Zagros Mountains of Iran. It can also be found in the aquarium trade. Its specific name honours the zoologist Vadim D. Vladykov (1898-1986) who studied the fishes of the Caspian basin and the person who accepted the species author, Brian W. Coad, as a graduate student.