Golden trout
| Golden trout | ||||||||||||
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Golden trout ( Oncorhynchus aguabonita ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Oncorhynchus aguabonita | ||||||||||||
| ( Jordan , 1892) |
The golden trout ( Oncorhynchus aguabonita ) is a species of salmon fish (Salmonidae). It was initially described as a subspecies of the rainbow trout , but is now largely recognized as a separate species. The natural range is in North America .
features
The golden trout can grow up to 71 cm and weigh almost five kilograms (this is the previous world record from 1948). Large specimens over 30 centimeters in length are mainly found when they are released and fattened in lakes or ponds. As a rule, however, this trout reaches a maximum length of 30 centimeters. From 15 centimeters in length, the fish are adult and sexually mature. The body shape is torpedo-like, slightly compressed on the sides. The golden trout is olive green on the back, yellow gold on the sides and belly, with red horizontal bands along the side line and with about ten dark, wide, vertical, slightly oval bars that are reminiscent of the youthful coloring of other trout species. Dorsal, pectoral and anal fins have white edges. The maxillary reaches slightly behind the eye, the head is relatively long, blunt at the end and about 3.75 times the length of the body. The scales (160 to 180 in the longitudinal row, with approx. 123 pores in the side line) are very small, round and not like roof tiles. Fin formula: D 12; A 10.
Occurrence
The species was described from California from the South Fork Kern River and the Golden Trout Creek named after it. The trout from the Main River and Little Kern River is sometimes even considered a subspecies Oncorhynchus aguabonita gilberti (see FishBase). However, the taxonomists are not entirely in agreement on its classification, as it is occasionally also considered a subspecies of the rainbow trout .
Names
The species name is composed of the Spanish words agua for water and bonita for pretty and refers to the name of a waterfall in its natural occurrence. There is a difference between the golden trout and the golden rainbow trout, also known as the palomino trout, which is a color variant of the rainbow trout.
threat
The golden trout is currently not on the list of threatened animal species, but years of overfishing , fishing mismanagement and conflicts with the alien species used have resulted in this species being classified as almost threatened. Used brook trout made it a dispute for food, brook trout acted as predators and inserted rainbow trout hybridized with it, whereby the natural gene pool was damaged by introgression . For decades, the stocks have therefore steadily shrunk. Finally, in September 2004 , the California Department of Fish and Game signed a contract with federal agencies to work on restoration efforts. Conservationists also plan to release the golden trout in other waters, such as Lake Mohave in Nevada and Arizona .
swell
- ↑ Wyoming Game and Fish Department ( http://gf.state.wy.us/fish/fishing/stats/records/index.asp )
- ↑ David Starr Jordan , Barton Warren Evermann: American food and game fishes. A popular account of all the species found in America north of the Equator, with keys for ready identification, life histories and methods of capture. Doubleday, Page & Co., New York NY 1902, online (PDF; 47.6 MB) .
- ^ David Starr Jordan: Description of the golden trout of Kern River. "Salmon" [sic] "mykiss aguabonita". In: Biennial Report of the State Board of Fish Commissioners of the State of California. Vol. 12, 1891/1892, ZDB -ID 967401-9 , pp. 62-65.
- ↑ David Starr Jordan: Descriptions of new varieties of trout. In: Biennial Report of the State Board of Fish Commissioners of the State of California. Vol. 13, 1893/1894, pp. 142-143.
- ^ C. Scharpf: Annotated checklist of North American freshwater fishes, including subspecies and undescribed forms. Part II: Catostomidae through Mugilidae. In: American Currents. Vol. 32, No. 4, 2006, pp. 1-40.
- ^ EP Pister: Restoration of the California Golden Trout in the South Fork Kern River, Kern Plateau, Tulare County, California, 1966-2004, with reference to the Golden Trout Creek. 2008, online (PDF; 7 MB) .
