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
Synonyms: click 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.