lATES. 105 



2. LATES. 

 Cav. & Val. Hist. Poiss. ii. p. 88 (1828) ; Giintli. Cat. Fish. i. p. G7 (18r)9) ; 

 Boiileng. Cat. Fish. i. p. 3G1 (1895), Poiss. Bass. Congo, p. 380 (1901), and 

 Fish. Nile, p. 452 (1907). 



Body elongate, moderately compressed, covered with moderate or 

 small ctenoid scales; lateral line complete, extending on the base or 

 nearly to the extremity of the caudal fin. Mouth large, ])rotractile ; 

 maxillary exposed, with supplemental bone ; villiforra teeth in jaws and 

 on vomer, palatines, and ectopterygoids. Prteorbital, preeoperculum, and 

 exposed parts of post-temporal and clavicle serrated ; operculum ending 

 in a spine. 7 branchiostegal rays. Two dorsals, contiguous or narrowly 

 separated, with 8 or 9 spines; anal short, with three spines; both fins 

 with a scaly sheath at the base. Ventrals below or slightly behind base 

 of pectorals, with a scaly basal process. Vertebree 25 (12 + 13). 



Fresh waters of Africa (Nile, Senegal, Niger, and Congo Systems) ; 

 mouths of rivers and coasts of South-Eastern Asia and North Australia. 



Synopsis of the Species. 

 Sc. GO-80 .^T^r^; interorbitid space at least equal 



to diameter of eye in adult ; caudal 

 rounded ; caudal peduncle as long as tleep 



or a little longer than deep . . , . ^ 1. L. niloticus, L , p. 105. 

 Sc. 100-130 T^zik 5 interorbital space at least 

 equal to diameter of eye in adult ; caudal 

 truncate or slightly emarginate ; caudal 



])eduncle much longer than deep . . . 2. L. mierolcjns, BIgr., p. 108. 



14—18 

 Sc. 125-150 „Q--; interorbital space about i 



diameter of eye ; caudal rounded ; caudal 



peduncle nuich longer than deep . . . 3. L. au(pistifrons, BIgr, p. 109. 



1. LATES NILOTICUS. 



Perca 7iiIotica, Linn, in Hasselq. Keise Pahest. p. 404 (17G2), and Syst. Nat. i. 



p. 483 {IIGG) ; Soniiini, Voy. Egypte, ii. p. 292, pi. xxii. tig. 3 (1799). 

 Ceniropomus niloticus, Lacep. Hist. Poiss. iv. p. 277 (1802). 

 Perca latus, I. Geoffr. Descr. Egypt, Poiss. p. 280, pi. ix. fig. 1 (1827). 

 Lates niloticus, Cn\. & Val. Hist. Poiss. ii. p. 89 (1828), and iii. p. 490 (1829) ; 



Gunth. Cat. Fish. i. p. G7 (1859), and Potherick's Trav. ii. p. 207 (18G9) ; 



Steiiul. Sitzl). Akad. "Wien. Ix. i. 18i'i9, p. G72, pi. i. ; Boulcng. Cat. Fisji. i. 



