Last evidence of Lates (Perciformes,Latinae) in the latest Miocene of the Eastern Paratethys

An articulated series of centra from latest Miocene deposits of Ukraine is described and identified as a species of Lates. The specimen comes from a locality with an estimated age of 6.04–4.7 Ma, representing the northernmost reach of the Paratethys during the Pontian. The specimen almost certainly represents a distinct species, but because it is incomplete we do not formally name it. The specimen can be differentiated from other species of Lates by features of the centra, including the relative size of the primary lateral fossa of the second centrum, the broadened neural spine of the third centrum, and the relative position of the upper and primary lateral pits on both the fifth and sixth centra. The Ukrainian specimen documents the presence of Lates in the northern Paratethys in the latest Miocene. After this time, species of Lates persisted in freshwaters in the Mediterranean area (Israel and Africa), but are no longer found in the marine waters of the region. We suggest that latines were extirpated from the Mediterranean and Paratethys by the rapidity of the changes in salinity that occurred in the Tethys Mediterranean basin and Paratethys as a result of the Messinian Salinity Crisis.