 "Acapoeta tanganicae" is endemic to Lake Tanganyika and the Rusizi River and occurs in Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, and Zambia.In 2012, this species was caught in the Lake Rukwa catchment, and it has been suggested that this is indicative that the catchments of Lake Tanganyika and Lake Rukwa were connected at some point in the past.It was considered that the most parsimonious explanation for its presence was that its low abundance meant it had been previously overlooked as a member of the Lake Rukwa ichthyofauna rather than deliberate introduction.