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Common names:
Albert Lates
None

Taxonomic tree
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii (ray-finned fish)
Order: Perciformes (perch-like)
Family: Latidae (Lates perches)
Genus: Lates
Species: Lates macrophthalmus (Worthington, 1929)
Number of Occurrancies: 39

Synonymsclick here to view synonyms

Type locality

Lake Albert. Lectotype at British Museum of Natural History (BMNH)

General identification features 

-Two nostrils on each side of the head 

-Contineous lateral line

-Head and body covered by relatively small scales

Distinguishing characters for the genus

-Small ctenoid scales

-Small villiform teeth in the jaws and on the vomer, palatines and ectopterygoids (bones forming part of the roof of the mouth)

-Pre-orbital and pre-opercular bones armed with spines; a large spine on the free edge of the operculum

-Dorsal fin almost completely divided into two parts by a deep notch; the anterior part comprisng 7-8 spines and the posterior part one spine and 10-14 branched rays

Distinguishing characte for the species

-Slender caudal peduncle (length/depth ratio 1.5-2)

-Colour is variable depending on the habitat: generally dorsum dark greyish-blue, flank and ventral side greyish-silver

Special remarks: This species closely resembles Lates niloticus, except that has slender caudal peduncle (compared to L. noloticus:length/depth ratio 1.33-1.66) and is restricted to open/deep waters of Lake Albert. 

Distribution in Uganda

Endemic to Lake Albert 



Occurence

Native

Habitat

Demersal.  

Feeding

No precise data on feeding

Biology

No information available on breeding and reproductive behaviour

Economic importance/End use

Subsistence fishery 

IUCN conservation status:click here to view IUCN status

Threats

Fishing

Main references

Greenwood PH. 1966. The fishes of Uganda. The Uganda Society, Kampala. 131 pages.



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Citation


Natugonza, V. & Musinguzi, L. (editors) 2021. Freshwater Biodiversity Portal for Uganda. www.freshwaterbiodiversity.go.ug, version (01/2021).

Contact


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P.O Box 343, Jinja, Uganda
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