Lates
Encyclopedia
Lates is a genus
of freshwater
and marine
fish
in the family
Latidae
of the order
Perciformes
. The type species
is Lates niloticus, the Nile perch
. The Lates species are native to the Indian
and western Pacific Ocean
s and to rivers and lakes in Africa
; several species are endemic to the Rift Valley lakes
. The generic
name is also used as a common name, lates, for many of the species.
These fishes range in size from less than 30 cm (12 in) to 2 m (6 ft 7 in) in maximum overall length, the largest species reaching weights of up to 200 kg (440 lb
). They all have the characteristic centropomid shape, with the two-part dorsal fin
and general percoid
form.
Inhabiting a variety of habitats, the Lates species are generally carnivorous, feeding on invertebrate
s and other fish
.
The Nile perch has become infamous as an invasive species
in the east African Lake Victoria
, where many native cichlid
s now are extinct. In contrast to the Nile perch, several smaller members of the genus Lates with relatively restricted African distributions are themselves considered threatened
.
The generic name Lates derives from the Latin
latēre (to be hidden).
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of freshwater
Freshwater
Fresh water is naturally occurring water on the Earth's surface in ice sheets, ice caps, glaciers, bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers and streams, and underground as groundwater in aquifers and underground streams. Fresh water is generally characterized by having low concentrations of dissolved salts and...
and marine
Seawater
Seawater is water from a sea or ocean. On average, seawater in the world's oceans has a salinity of about 3.5% . This means that every kilogram of seawater has approximately of dissolved salts . The average density of seawater at the ocean surface is 1.025 g/ml...
fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
in the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Latidae
Latidae
The Latidae are a family of perch-like fishes found in Africa and the Indian and Pacific Oceans. The family, previously classified subfamily Latinae in family Centropomidae, was raised to family status in 2004 after a cladistic analysis showed the original Centropomidae was paraphyletic.Many...
of the order
Order (biology)
In scientific classification used in biology, the order is# a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, family, genus, and species, with order fitting in between class and family...
Perciformes
Perciformes
The Perciformes, also called the Percomorphi or Acanthopteri, is one of the largest orders of vertebrates, containing about 40% of all bony fish. Perciformes means perch-like. They belong to the class of ray-finned fish and comprise over 7,000 species found in almost all aquatic environments...
. The type species
Type species
In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...
is Lates niloticus, the Nile perch
Nile perch
The Nile perch is a species of freshwaterfish in family Latidae of order Perciformes. It is widespread throughout muchof the Afrotropic ecozone, being native to the Congo, Nile, Senegal, Niger, and Lake Chad, Volta, Lake Turkana and other river basins. It also occurs in the brackish waters of...
. The Lates species are native to the Indian
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
and western Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
s and to rivers and lakes in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
; several species are endemic to the Rift Valley lakes
Rift Valley lakes
The Rift Valley lakes are a group of lakes in the Great Rift Valley formed by the East African Rift which runs through the whole eastern side of the African continent from north to south...
. The generic
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
name is also used as a common name, lates, for many of the species.
These fishes range in size from less than 30 cm (12 in) to 2 m (6 ft 7 in) in maximum overall length, the largest species reaching weights of up to 200 kg (440 lb
Pound (mass)
The pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass used in the Imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement...
). They all have the characteristic centropomid shape, with the two-part dorsal fin
Dorsal fin
A dorsal fin is a fin located on the backs of various unrelated marine and freshwater vertebrates, including most fishes, marine mammals , and the ichthyosaurs...
and general percoid
Percoidei
Percoidei is one of eighteen suborders of bony fish in the order Perciformes. Many commercially harvested fish species are contained in this suborder, including the snappers, jacks, whitings, groupers, bass, perches and porgies.-Divisions:...
form.
Inhabiting a variety of habitats, the Lates species are generally carnivorous, feeding on invertebrate
Invertebrate
An invertebrate is an animal without a backbone. The group includes 97% of all animal species – all animals except those in the chordate subphylum Vertebrata .Invertebrates form a paraphyletic group...
s and other fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
.
The Nile perch has become infamous as an invasive species
Invasive species
"Invasive species", or invasive exotics, is a nomenclature term and categorization phrase used for flora and fauna, and for specific restoration-preservation processes in native habitats, with several definitions....
in the east African Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria is one of the African Great Lakes. The lake was named for Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, by John Hanning Speke, the first European to discover this lake....
, where many native cichlid
Cichlid
Cichlids are fishes from the family Cichlidae in the order Perciformes. Cichlids are members of a group known as the Labroidei along with the wrasses , damselfish , and surfperches . This family is both large and diverse. At least 1,300 species have been scientifically described, making it one of...
s now are extinct. In contrast to the Nile perch, several smaller members of the genus Lates with relatively restricted African distributions are themselves considered threatened
Threatened species
Threatened species are any speciesg animals, plants, fungi, etc.) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future.The World Conservation Union is the foremost authority on threatened species, and treats threatened species not as a single category, but as a group of three categories,...
.
The generic name Lates derives from the Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
latēre (to be hidden).
Species
- Tanganyika latesTanganyika latesThe Tanganyika lates is a species of fish in the Latidae family. It is found in Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, and Zambia. Its natural habitat is freshwater lakes.-References:...
, Lates angustifrons Boulenger, 1906 - BarramundiBarramundiThe Barramundi , also known as Asian Seabass, is a species of catadromous fish in family Latidae of order Perciformes. The native species is widely distributed in the Indo-West Pacific region from the Persian Gulf, through Southeast Asia to Papua New Guinea and Northern Australia. Known in Thai...
, Lates calcarifer (Bloch, 1790) - Japanese latesJapanese latesThe Japanese lates or akame is a rare and shy fish endemic in Japan. It has a comparatively long and compressed body and a large mouth. It is a metallic grey in overall colour, with a bluish tint, darker upperparts, and lighter underparts. Its fins are greyish black, and its pupils are red...
, Lates japonicus Katayama & Taki, 1984 - Rudolf lates, Lates longispinisLates longispinisLates longispinis, also known as the Rudolf lates or Turkana perch, is a species of latid fish that is endemic to Lake Turkana in Kenya and Ethiopia. It grows to in length. Lates longispinis is important to commercial fisheries and is also known as a gamefish...
Worthington, 1932 - Albert latesAlbert latesThe Albert lates is a species of fish in the Latidae family. It is found in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. Its natural habitat is freshwater lakes.-References:...
, Lates macrophthalmus Worthington, 1929 - Bigeye latesBigeye latesThe bigeye lates is a species of fish in the Latidae family. It is found in Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, and Zambia. Its natural habitat is freshwater lakes.-References:...
, Lates mariae Steindachner, 1909 - Forktail latesForktail latesThe forktail lates is a species of fish in the Latidae family. It is found in Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, and Zambia. Its natural habitat is freshwater lakes.-Source:...
, Lates microlepis Boulenger, 1898 - Nile perchNile perchThe Nile perch is a species of freshwaterfish in family Latidae of order Perciformes. It is widespread throughout muchof the Afrotropic ecozone, being native to the Congo, Nile, Senegal, Niger, and Lake Chad, Volta, Lake Turkana and other river basins. It also occurs in the brackish waters of...
, Lates niloticus (Linnaeus, 1758) - Sleek latesSleek latesThe sleek lates is a species of fish in the Latidae family. It is found in Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, and Zambia. Its natural habitat is freshwater lakes.-References:...
, Lates stappersii (Boulenger, 1914)