Salvelinus killinensis

Salvelinus killinensis, also known as Haddy charr is a variety of charr found in certain lakes in Scotland.

Salvelinus killinensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Salmoniformes
Family: Salmonidae
Genus: Salvelinus
Species:
S. killinensis
Binomial name
Salvelinus killinensis
(Günther, 1865)
Synonyms

Salmo killinensis (Günther, 1866)

Salvelinus killinensis lives in Loch Killin (Inverness-shire), after which it is named. It is also found in Loch Doine (Trossachs) and perhaps in Loch Builg (Cairngorms) as well. It lives in the deeper regions of the lakes, moving to shallower waters only during the spawning season.

Recently the presence of this charr has been reported in several other lakes of Scotland, although it may be not be Salvelinus killinensis, but another similar species.[2]

Taxonomy

The taxonomy of charrs is controversial. The Scottish authorities follow the practice which considers all the 200 Scottish charr populations, including that of Loch Killin, belonging to the single widespread circumpolar species Salvelinus alpinus (the Arctic char).[3][4] The IUCN Red List however follows division of Scottish (and other) charrs to several local species. In this view other putative Scottish charr species include Salvelinus gracillimus, Salvelinus mallochi, Salvelinus struanensis and Salvelinus youngeri, and further species would exist elsewhere in the UK and Ireland.[5]

Description

Salvelinus killinensis grows to a length of 16 in (41 cm). The snout is blunt and the upper jaw is slightly longer than the lower jaw. The dorsal surface is dull, olive-grey or bluish-grey with pale spots, shading to yellowish-white on the belly. The fins are yellowish to reddish-brown, with a white margin on the front of the anal and pelvic fins.[2]

Ecology

This fish lives in the deepest parts of Loch Killin, which has a maximum depth of 67 ft (20 m). The only time it is seen is around September when it moves to shallow waters to spawn.[6] It feeds on such invertebrate prey as insect larvae, molluscs and crustaceans.[2]

References
  1. "IUCN Red list". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
  2. Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2014). "Salvelinus killinensis" in FishBase. April 2014 version.
  3. Arctic charr Archived 2012-03-19 at the Wayback Machine Scottish Natural Heritage
  4. Arctic charr The Scottish Government: Marine Scotland]
  5. J. Freyhof & M. Kottelat (2008). "Salvelinus alpinus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008: e.T19877A9102572. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T19877A9102572.en.
  6. Parker, Eric (1935). Game Birds, Beasts and Fishes: Natural History for Sportsmen. J.B. Lippincott. p. 241.
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