''Latris'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of marine

ray finned fish Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fishes, is a class of bony fish. They comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. The ray-finned fishes are so called because their fins are webs of skin supported by bony or hor ...

belonging to the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Latridae Latridae commonly called trumpeters, is a family of marine ray-finned fish. They are found in temperate seas in the Southern Hemisphere. The classification of the species within the Latridae and the related Cheilodactylidae is unclear.They a ...

, the trumpeters. They are found in the southern oceans.

Taxonomy

''Latris'' was first formally described in 1839 by the

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, naturalist and

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Sir John Richardson with the

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen ...

being ''Latris hecateia'', this being the

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species in the genus. Richardson’s name was later shown to be a

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Johann Reinhold Forster Johann Reinhold Forster (22 October 1729 – 9 December 1798) was a German Continental Reformed church, Reformed (Calvinist) pastor and natural history, naturalist of partially Scottish descent who made contributions to the early ornithology of ...

’s ''Cichla lineata''. The name of the genus, ''Latris'', means “slave” or “servant”, Richardson did not explain why he chose this name.

Species

There are currently two recognized

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

in this genus: * '' Latris lineata'' ( J. R. Forster, 1801) (Striped trumpeter) * '' Latris pacifica'' C. D. Roberts, 2003 (Silver trumpeter)

Characteristics

''Latris'' has two species which, although

molecular A molecule is a group of two or more atoms held together by attractive forces known as chemical bonds; depending on context, the term may or may not include ions which satisfy this criterion. In quantum physics, organic chemistry, and bioche ...

analyses suggest that they are

sister species In phylogenetics, a sister group or sister taxon, also called an adelphotaxon, comprises the closest relative(s) of another given unit in an evolutionary tree. Definition The expression is most easily illustrated by a cladogram: Taxon A and t ...

, share few obvious derived morphological characteristics which separate them from other Latrid genera. Before the discovery of ''Latris pacifica'' it was thought that the presence of vomerine teeth was a character separating the genus from the others in the family but ''L. pacifica'' does share this characteristic. Meristic counts are of doubtful usefulness but these fishes have a

dorsal fin A dorsal fin is a fin located on the back of most marine and freshwater vertebrates within various taxa of the animal kingdom. Many species of animals possessing dorsal fins are not particularly closely related to each other, though through conv ...

with 17-20 spines and 33-44 soft rays, while the

anal fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as se ...

has 26-37 soft rays. They also have 37-43 vertebrae. The maximum

total length Fish measurement is the measuring of individual fish and various parts of their anatomies. These data are used in many areas of ichthyology, including taxonomy and fisheries biology. Overall length * Standard length (SL) is the length of a fish ...

s are for ''L. pacifica'' and for ''L. lineata''.

Distribution and habitat

Latris species are found in the temperate southern oceans. ''Latris lineata'' has been confirmed to occur in the southern Indian Ocean, the South Pacific Ocean and the Southern Atlantic. ''L. pacifica'' have only been recorded from the

Foundation Seamounts Foundation Seamounts are a series of seamounts in the southern Pacific Ocean. Discovered in 1992, these seamounts form a long chain which starts from the Pacific-Antarctic Ridge. Some of these seamounts may have once emerged from the ocean. Th ...

in the South Pacific Ocean. They are associated with rocky reef habitats.

Fisheries

''Latris'' trumpeters are quarry for commercial fisheries from New Zealand while in other parts of its range the striped trumpeter is a desirable target for recreational fisheries. Their flesh is considered to be highly palatable.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5232832 Latridae Ray-finned fish genera Taxa named by John Richardson (naturalist)