Lates

Lates
Temporal range: 33.9–0 Ma Early Oligocene to present
Barramundi (L. calcarifer) displaying eyeshine
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Division: Teleostei
Order: Carangiformes
Suborder: Centropomoidei
Family: Latidae
Genus: Lates
G. Cuvier, 1828
Type species
Lates niloticus
Linnaeus, 1758
Synonyms
  • Luciolates Boulenger, 1914
  • Pseudolates Alleyne & W. J. Macleay, 1877

Lates is a genus of freshwater and euryhaline lates perches belonging to the family Latidae. The generic name is also used as a common name, lates, for many of the species.

All species are predatory, and the Nile perch (L. niloticus), in particular, has become infamous as an invasive species after its introduction into the East African Lake Victoria, where many native Haplochromines were driven extinct. In contrast, the Nile perch itself is somewhat threatened in its native habitat, similar to many members of the genus Lates with relatively restricted distributions.

Etymology

The generic name Lates derives from the Latin latēre (to be hidden).

Description

These fishes range in size from less than 30 to 200 cm (1 to 7 ft) in maximum overall length, the largest species reaching weights up to 200 kg (440 lb). They all have the characteristic centropomid shape, with the two-part dorsal fin and general percoid form.

All species are carnivorous, preying on aquatic invertebrates and other fish in a wide variety of habitats.

Distribution and habitat

The greatest species diversity is in the Rift Valley lakes, with four endemic to Tanganyika (L. angustifrons shown), one to Albert and one to Turkana

These fishes are native to freshwater and marine waters of Africa, Asia, the Indian Ocean, and the western Pacific Ocean. Several species are endemic to the Rift Valley lakes in Africa.

Taxonomy

Extant species

Currently, 11 recognized species are placed in this genus:

Extinct species

Extinct species within this genus include:

Extinct species within this genus lived from the early Oligocene epoch to the present. Fossils have been found in Africa (Libya, Egypt, Kenya, Tunisia, Chad, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Niger, and Sudan), France (Molasse basin), Saudi Arabia, and Slovakia. Earlier specimens from the Eocene are now placed in their own genus, Eolates.

Prehistoric Lates appear to have had significant species diversity in the marine basins of the Mediterranean and Paratethys, but appear to have been significantly affected by salinity fluctuations, leading to their eventual extinction. In the present day, the only surviving Lates in this region is the Nile perch, L. niloticus, in estuarine habitats in North Africa.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Lates Cuvier 1828 (lates)". Fossilworks.
  2. ↑ Murray, A.M., Attia, Y.S. A new species of Lates (Teleostei: Perciformes) from the Lower Oligocene of Egypt, Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 2004, 24(2):299–308
  3. ↑ Fricke, Ron; Eschmeyer, William N. & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Lates". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  4. ↑ Fricke, Ron; Eschmeyer, William N. & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Genera in the family Latidae". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Species in genus Lates". FishBase. October 2013 version.
  6. ↑ Otero, Olga (2004). "Anatomy, systematics and phylogeny of both Recent and fossil latid fishes (Teleostei, Perciformes, Latidae)". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 141 (1): 81–133. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.2004.00111.x. ISSN 1096-3642.
  7. 1 2 3 Murray, Alison M.; Kovalchuk, Oleksandr M.; Vernygora, Oksana (2018-07-04). "Last evidence of Lates (Perciformes, Latinae) in the latest Miocene of the Eastern Paratethys". Historical Biology. 30 (5). doi:10.1080/08912963.2017.1312361. ISSN 0891-2963.
  8. 1 2 Kovalchuk, Oleksandr; Otero, Olga; Barkaszi, Zoltán; Murray, Alison M.; Divay, Julien D. (2023-07-04). "A new species of Lates (Perciformes, Latidae) from the Late Miocene of Ukraine and notes on the latest records of lates perches in the Eastern Paratethys". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 43 (4). doi:10.1080/02724634.2023.2299314. ISSN 0272-4634.
  9. ↑ "Un ancêtre potentiel de la Perche nilotique dans les collections du Museum d'Histoire Naturelle de Perpignan". mediterranees.net. Retrieved 2026-06-07.
  10. ↑ Otero, Olga (2004). "Anatomy, systematics and phylogeny of both Recent and fossil latid fishes (Teleostei, Perciformes, Latidae)". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 141 (1): 81–133. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.2004.00111.x. ISSN 1096-3642.