[2] Among others, this includes Labeobarbus batesii, a member of the Fundulopanchax mirabilis group, and the endemic catfish Clarias maclareni.

[8] These cichlids are commonly recognized as a prime example of sympatric speciation,[8] but studies indicate that they were not the result of a single founding event.

[9] The lake is strongly stratified with essentially no oxygen deeper than 40 m (130 ft), meaning that fish are restricted to the upper parts closer to the surface.

[1] However, one of the cichlid species, Konia dikume, has an unusually high level of hemoglobin in its blood, allowing it to briefly enter low-oxygen water to feed on glassworms (Chaoborus).

[3][4][11] Nevertheless, extensive subsistence fishing has caused declines in the Barombi Mbo cichlids, but it is shifting to more sustainable practices.