Lake Victoria is one of the African Great Lakes. With a surface area of approximately 59,947 km2 (23,146 sq mi), Lake Victoria is Africa's largest lake by area, the world's largest tropical lake, and the world's second-largest fresh water lake by surface area after Lake Superior in North America. In terms of volume, Lake Victoria is the world's ninth-largest continental lake, containing about 2,424 km3 (1.965×109 acre⋅ft) of water. Lake Victoria occupies a shallow depression in Africa. The lake has an average depth of 40 m (130 ft) and a maximum depth of 80–81 m (262–266 ft). Its catchment area covers 169,858 km2 (65,583 sq mi). The lake has a shoreline of 7,142 km (4,438 mi) when digitized at the 1:25,000 level, with islands constituting 3.7% of this length.
Lake Kioga or Lake Kyoga is a large shallow lake in Uganda, about 1,720 km2 (660 sq mi) in area and at an elevation of 1,033 metres. The Victoria Nile flows through the lake on its way from Lake Victoria to Lake Albert. The main inflow from Lake Victoria is regulated by the Nalubaale Power Station in Jinja. Another source of water is the Mount Elgon region on the border between Uganda and Kenya. While Lake Kyoga is part of the African Great Lakes system, it is not itself considered a great lake.
Haplochromis is a ray-finned fish genus in the family Cichlidae. It has been used as the default "wastebin taxon" for Pseudocrenilabrinae cichlids of the East African Rift, and as such became the "largest" fish "genus". Many of these cichlids are popular aquarium fishes; like similar Haplochromini they are known as "haplos", "happies" or "haps" among aquarium enthusiasts.
Copadichromis borleyi is a species of haplochromine cichlid fish endemic to Lake Malawi in East Africa. The species is popular in the fishkeeping hobby where it is frequently kept in aquariums. The species has numerous common names, including redfin hap and goldfin hap.
Haplochromis welcommei is a threatened species of cichlid endemic to Lake Victoria in Africa. This species reaches a length of 10.5 centimetres (4.1 in) SL. Although further surveys are needed to confirm its status, it is considered possibly extinct by the IUCN on the basis that there have been no definite records since 1985.
Cyathochromis obliquidens is a species of cichlid endemic to Lake Malawi in east Africa where it is found in shallow, vegetated waters from 1 to 6 metres depth. It is an algae grazer, mainly from the leaves of aquatic vegetation. This species grows to a length of 15 centimetres (5.9 in) TL. It is also found in the aquarium trade. It currently is the only known member of its genus.
Haplochromis argenteus is a critically endangered species of cichlid fish that is endemic to the Lake Victoria system in Africa. This species reaches a standard length of 20.2 cm (8.0 in). The species declined rapidly after the Nile perch was introduced to Lake Victoria. Last reported from this lake in 1983, it was considered possibly extinct when evaluated by the IUCN in 2010. However, that same year, several were recorded during a fish survey of Lake Bisina, a satellite lake of Lake Kyoga.
Haplochromis elegans is a species of cichlid endemic to Uganda where it occurs in Lake George, Lake Edward and the Kazinga Channel. This species can reach a length of 7.3 centimetres (2.9 in) SL.
Haplochromis gracilior, known in Rwanda as the Boulenger's Kivu haplo and in the aquarium fish trade as Haplochromis 'torpedo stripe', is a species of cichlid fish endemic to Lake Kivu on the border of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda. This species can reach a length of 10.4 centimetres (4.1 in) SL.
Haplochromis ishmaeli is a species of cichlid endemic to Lake Victoria though it may now be extinct in the wild. This species can reach a length of 13.6 centimetres (5.4 in) SL. A captive "insurance population" is maintained.
Haplochromis martini is a critically endangered species of cichlid fish that is endemic to the Lake Victoria system in Africa. It reaches a standard length of 10.4 cm (4.1 in). The species declined rapidly after the Nile perch was introduced to Lake Victoria. Last reported from this lake in 1985, it was considered possibly extinct when evaluated by the IUCN in 2010. However, that same year, it was recorded during a fish survey of Lake Bisina, a satellite lake of Lake Kyoga.
Haplochromis nubilus, the blue Victoria mouthbrooder, is a species of cichlid found in the Lake Victoria system in East Africa. It inhabits shallow areas near shores. This species can reach a standard length of 9.3 cm (3.7 in). It is omnivorous and feeds on algae, small crustaceans, and insect larvae.
Haplochromis obliquidens is an African species of cichlid found in Lake Victoria and the adjacent reaches of the Nile. This species can reach a standard length of 8.9 cm (3.5 in). Another species sometimes seen in the aquarium trade, Haplochromis latifasciatus of the Lake Kyoga system, is frequently labelled as Haplochromis "zebra obliquidens", which sometimes cause confusion between the species. Unlike that species, H. obliquidens is not known from the aquarium trade.
Haplochromis piceatus is a species of cichlid fish endemic to Lake Victoria in East Africa. Although listed as vulnerable by the IUCN, surveys since 2005 have failed to find it in its home lake and it is possibly extinct in the wild. Captive "safety populations" are maintained at several public aquariums.
Haplochromis worthingtoni is a species of cichlid endemic to Lake Kyoga in Uganda. This species reaches a length of 14.1 centimetres (5.6 in) SL. The specific name honours the explorer E. Barton Worthington (1905–2001) who collected the type of this species with type with Michael Graham.
The striped nothobranch is a species of freshwater fish of East Africa, belonging to the family Aplocheilidae.
Haplochromis orthostoma is a species of cichlid fish that is endemic to the Lake Kyoga system in Uganda, where only known from Lake Bisina and Lake Nawampassa. Its continued survival in Lake Bisina is questionable as it has not been recorded in recent surveys, but it still survives in Lake Nawampassa. This piscivorous species is peaceful among similar-sized or larger fish, but will rapidly swallow smaller fish with its very large mouth. The largest officially measured specimen was 9.1 cm (3.6 in) in standard length, although it has been known to reach about 18 cm (7.1 in) in total length.
Haplochromis sp. 'Kyoga flameback' is a species of fish in the family Cichlidae. It is endemic to the Lake Kyoga system in Uganda.
Lake Bisina, also known as Lake Salisbury, is a freshwater lake in eastern Uganda. It is a satellite lake of Lake Kyoga, which it drains into, and the two are to some extent directly connected by papyrus swamps. During the high-water rainy season, Lake Bisina can be up to 6 m (20 ft) deep and it is often directly connected to the smaller Lake Opeta, but during the dry season the two are clearly separated.
There are two major sources of fish in Uganda; one is from aquaculture, the other from fishing in rivers and lakes. Different types of fish flourish in different water sources. The waters of Uganda contain an impressive array of fish species—over 90 in all. This count does not include the Haplochromis complex, which itself is made up of more than 200 species.
