African lates perches (Teleostei, Latidae, Lates): Paraphyly of Nile perch and recent colonization of Lake Tanganyika

Lates perches of the genus (Latidae) are large piscivorous fishes, with a strikingly disjunct distribution range in coastal areas and estuaries Indo-Pacific region some African freshwater systems. Previous phylogenetic hypotheses based on osteological ontogenetic data suggested paraphyly representatives, or even small Lake Tanganyika species assemblage, respect to remaining species. Based multilocus phylogeny, however, we show that extant lates monophyletic. The Nile perch, L. niloticus, which is widely distributed Nilo-Sudan Central Africa, comprises three distinct lineages paraphyletic four endemic We find diversification happened only as recently Pliocene. With extensive, part much older fossil record, this suggests repeated extinction (re-)colonization hydrological further started diversify Pleistocene, more recent than other fish radiations Tanganyika, implying they radiated presence top predators already ecosystem.