Volume 7, Plate III / Ichthyology (Fish)

Lates of the Nile

Lates Niloticus

Esteemed among the most delicate fishes of the Nile and reputedly reaching great size in former times, this fish bears a single opercular spine, teeth on the suborbitary bone, and strong spines upon the scapular and humeral bones that fade in old, three-foot individuals. The dorsal spines are remarkably strong, the scaling large and rough-edged, and the whole body silvery, tinged with olive brown above and on the fins.