Lates \La"tes\, n. [NL., fr. Gr. ? a fish of the Nile.] (Zool.) A genus of large percoid fishes, of which one species ({Lates Niloticus}) inhabits the Nile, and another ({Lates calcarifer}) is found in the Ganges and other Indian rivers. They are valued as food fishes. [1913 Webster]