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Lates niloticus

No common name
Collection Details

Specimens

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Taxonomic Hierarchy

Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes) Perciformes (Perciformes, Also Called the Acanthopteri) Latidae (Lates Perches) Lates Lates niloticus

Description

This species account was compiled from FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2025. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, version 04/2025.) and processed using AI-assisted text extraction. It may contain errors in spelling, punctuation, or formatting. When citing, please reference the original source rather than this page. Learn more about our species accounts.

Characters

Body shape: fusiform / normal. Diagnosis: mouth large and protrusible (Ref. 28714, 81285, 81652), lower jaw (slightly) prominent (Ref. 81285, 81652). Numerous villiform teeth present in jaws, on palate (Ref. 81285, 81652) and vomer (Ref. 81652). Preorbital/lachrymal (Ref. 4967, 81652) and preopercle (Ref. 4967, 81285, 81652) denticulate. Strong, prominent opercular spine present (Ref. 4967, 81285, 81652) on free edge of opercle, and a smaller one dorsal to it (Ref. 81652). Dorsal fin divided by a deep notch into anterior spiny and posterior soft-rayed sections; anal fin with 3 spines; pelvics with a spine and situated close to the pectorals (Ref. 28714). Caudal fin rounded (Ref. 4967, 81285, 81652). Scales ctenoid, 54-74 along lateral line, followed by 6-8 pored scales on caudal-fin base; ceratobranchial (lower limb) of first gill arch with 12-14 gill rakers (Ref. 81285). Coloration: body uniformly silvery (Ref. 81285) or dark greyish-blue dorsally, greyish-silver on flank and ventrally (Ref. 34290, 81652). Fins greyish; interior of eye conspicuously yellowish (Ref. 81285). Juveniles brownish with lighter marbling (Ref. 81285) on head and flanks (Ref. 81652). Striking features: none.

Distribution

Africa: widespread throughout the Nilo-Sudan region of Africa, occurring commonly in all major river basins including Senegal, Niger, Volta, Chad (Ref. 81285, 81652) and Nile (Ref. 3636, 28714, 81652). Found almost everywhere in West Africa, except in Gambia (Ref. 81285). Also present in the Congo basin and lakes Albert, Turkana/Rudolph and Tana (Ref. 3636). Several countries report adverse ecological impact after introduction.

Habitat Associations

Freshwater. demersal. depth range 10-60 m. Found in: streams, lakes.

Biology

Inhabits channels, lakes and irrigation canals (Ref. 28714, 81652). Adults inhabit deep water, while juveniles are found in shallow water (Ref. 81652). Feeds on fish especially clupeids and Alestes (Ref. 13851). Smaller fish also feed on larger crustaceans and insects; juveniles are planktivorous (Ref. 28714). Threatened due to over harvesting (Ref. 58490). No length type given but assumed to be in TL. Maximum reported size of 180.0 cm corresponding to a weight of 164 kg in Lake Albert (Ref. 81285).
Max length: 200.0 cm TL; common length: 100.0 cm SL; max weight: 200000 g.
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; nonguarders (open water/substratum egg scatterers); parental care: none.
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2019-05-15. Resilience: Medium (K=0.17-0.19; tm=2-3).

Commercial or Environmental Importance

Fisheries: highly commercial; gamefish; aquaculture: commercial.

References

Breder, C.M. and D.E. Rosen (1966) Modes of reproduction in fishes. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, New Jersey. 941 p.
Teugels, G.G., C. Lévêque, D. Paugy and K. Traoré (1988) État des connaissances sur la faune ichtyologique des bassins côtiers de Côte d'Ivoire et de l'ouest du Ghana. Rev. Hydrobiol. Trop. 21(3):221-237.
Daget, J. (1986) Centropomidae. p. 293-296. In J. Daget, J.-P. Gosse and D.F.E. Thys van den Audenaerde (eds.) Check-list of the freshwater fishes of Africa (CLOFFA). ISNB, Brussels; MRAC, Tervuren; and ORSTOM, Paris. Vol. 2.
Eccles, D.H. (1992) FAO species identification sheets for fishery purposes. Field guide to the freshwater fishes of Tanzania. Prepared and published with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (project URT/87/016). FAO, Rome. 145 p.
Moreau, J. (1982) Exposé synoptique des données biologiques sur Heterotis niloticus (Cuvier, 1829). FAO Fish. Synop. 131:44 p.
van Oijen, M.J.P. (1995) Appendix I. Key to Lake Victoria fishes other than haplochromine cichlids. p. 209-300. In F. Witte and W.L.T. van Densen (eds.) Fish stocks and fisheries of Lake Victoria. A handbook for field observations. Samara Publishing Limited, Dyfed, Great Britain.
Adebisi, A.A. (1981) Analyses of the stomach contents of the piscivorous fishes of the upper Ogun River in Nigeria. Hydrobiologia 79(2):167-177. DOI: 10.1007/BF00006124
Stone, R. (2007) The last of the leviathans. Science 316:1684-1688.
Paugy, D. (2003) Centropomidae. p. 451-453. In D. Paugy, C. Lévêque and G.G Teugels (eds.) The fresh and brackish water fishes of West Africa Volume 2. Coll. faune et flore tropicales 40. Institut de recherche de développement, Paris, France, Muséum national d'histoire naturelle, Paris, France and Musée royal de l'Afrique Central, Tervuren, Belgium, 815p.

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