Apache trout

Apache trout
	Apache trout ( Oncorhynchus apache )
Systematics
Overcohort :	Clupeocephala
Cohort :	Euteleosteomorpha
Order :	Salmonid fish (Salmoniformes)
Family :	Salmon fish (Salmonidae)
Genre :	Pacific salmon ( Oncorhynchus )
Type :	Apache trout
Scientific name
	Oncorhynchus apache
	( Miller , 1972)

The Apache trout ( Oncorhynchus apache ) is a species of predatory fish belonging to the salmon fish (Salmonidae). It is the national fish of the US state Arizona and occurs in the upper Salt River and in the Little Colorado River and their tributaries.

features

Apache trout usually reach a length of 20 to 40, a maximum of about 60 centimeters. The maximum reported weight was 2.36 kilograms. The animals are yellow to gold in color with regularly distributed black dots on the head, body and fins and orange to yellow-orange belly. There is a large black spot behind the eyes. The tips of the dorsal fin , anal fin and pelvic fins are white. The lateral line organ is fully developed and passes through 112 to 124 scales.

Way of life

The animals colonize clear mountain rivers, streams and lakes at altitudes of mostly over 2500 meters. You need still water for spawning , as well as shady bank vegetation. Above all, various insects serve as prey. The spawning season begins when the water temperature reaches around 8 ° C. The 100 to 4000 eggs are deposited in pits on the drain side of natural water basins.

Usage and threat

The species, which was originally common, was fished intensively in the past and used salted as winter stock. By overfishing , hybridization with the rainbow trout ( Oncorhynchus mykiss ), and the competition from imported trout ( Salmo trutta ) and brook trout ( Salvelinus fontinalis ), the range of the species is shrunk to about 5% of the original extension. The Apache trout is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN's Red List of Threatened Species .

swell

Ken Schultz: Ken Schultz's field guide to freshwater fish . John Wiley and Sons, New York NY et al. 2003, ISBN 0-471-44994-6 , pp. 226 .
Apache trout on Fishbase.org (English)

Web links

Commons : Apache trout ( Oncorhynchus apache ) - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Oncorhynchus apache inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Posted by: Gimenez Dixon, M., 1996. Retrieved October 12, 2013.