Lates longispinis

Taxobox
name = Rudolf lates
status = DD
status_system = IUCN3.1
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Actinopterygii
ordo = Perciformes
familia = Latidae
genus = "Lates"
species = "L. longispinis"
binomial = "Lates longispinis"

"Lates longispinis", Rudolf lates or Turkana perch, is a deep water African perch found in Lake Turkana in Ethiopia and Lake Rudolf in Kenya. This fish grows to 275 mm (11 in) long. "Lates longispinis" is important to commercial fisheries and is also known as a gamefish. However, it is not known to exist in the aquarium fish trade.

Habitat

"Lates longispinis" lives mostly in deep water areas in Lake Rudolf in Kenya and Lake Turkana in Ethiopia.

Feeding

The Rudolf lates lives in deep waters, eating prawns off the bottom of the lakes and feeding on schooling characins in the mid-water column.

Breeding

Not much is known about the breeding habits of L. longispinis. It spawns in the open water in the middle of the lake, and parental care is highly unlikely. The eggs and fry are believed to be pelagic, and the babies mature at 25–30 cm (10–12 in) long.

Conservation

There are no reliable population estimates readily available for this fish. The range of the Rudolf lates is limited. The population trend of this fish, however, is said to be going up. There are no immediate threats to this fish, however, there are a few slightly insignificant long-term threats, such as overfishing. Consequently, there have not been many large scale conservation efforts or scientific studies with this species, though they may be needed. There is not enough information to determine whether this species is threatened or not. The IUCN Red List classifies this species as Data Deficient.

References

* [http://www.iucnredlist.org/search/details.php/60834/all IUCN Red List]
* [http://filaman.ifm-geomar.de/Summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=9896&CFID=1573248&CFTOKEN=35102322]