Many of the haplochromine cichlids are endemic, but very closely related to the Lake Victoria species,[4][5] and showing a similar level of diversity in terms of feeding.

[7] As in Lake Victoria, the Kyoga cichlids have been decimated by the introduced Nile perch and some species are already extinct.

The number of surviving haplochromine cichlids in each subsection is directly related to the status of the Nile perch.

In comparison, the much smaller satellite lakes Lemwa, Nyaguo and Nawampasa lack Nile perch, but at least 50 haplochromine species survive in each of the first two, and at least 60 in the last.

Conversely, the small satellite lakes Nakuwa and Nyasala where Nile perch is abundant have less than 30 and 5 surviving haplochromines respectively.