Lake trout
| Salvelinus namaycush (Walbaum, 1792) | ||||
| Family: | Salmonidae (Salmonids) |
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| Order: | Salmoniformes | |||
| Class: | Teleostei | |||
| English name: | Lake trout | |||
| Distribution: | North America: Atlantic, Arctic, and Pacific basins from northern Canada and Alaska south to New England in USA, Great Lakes, and northern Montana, USA. Introduced widely to many areas outside its native range. Splakes (hybrid between Salvelinus namaycush and Salvelinus fontinalis) have also been successfully introduced to many areas of North America. The three observed phenotypes existing in Lake Superior (lean, siscowet and humper or paperbelly) are under some genetic control and not merely expressions of environmental adaptation (Ref. 40529). | |||
| Adult biology: | Occurs in shallow and deep waters of northern lakes and streams and is restricted to relatively deep lakes in the southern part of its range (Ref. 5723, 86798). Rarely found in brackish water (Ref. 11980). A solitary wanderer, the extent of their movements apparently limited by the size of the lake and individual (Ref. 27547). Although lake trout generally feed on a variety of organisms such as freshwater sponges, crustaceans, insects, fishes (with a preference for ciscoes), and small mammals, some populations feed on plankton throughout their lives (Ref. 27547). Such plankton-feeding lake trout grow more slowly, mature earlier and at smaller size, die sooner and attain smaller maximum size than do their fish-eating counterparts (Ref. 30351). Lake trout are highly susceptible to pollution, especially from insecticides (Ref. 14019, 27547). Utilized as a food fish, its flesh is usually of a yellow or creamy color but may be anything from white to orange (Ref. 27547). Often caught by fishers (Ref. 30578). | |||
| Diagnosis: | The larvae move off the spawning areas and into deep water a month or so after hatching (Ref. 27547).. See also LARVAE table. | |||
| Climate Zone: | temperate; 4 - 13°C; 75°N - 38°N | |||
| Main Ref: | Morrow, J.E.. 1980. (Ref. 27547) | |||
| More information: | Collaborators | Common names | Countries | Eggs | FAO areas | Genetics | Introductions | Larvae | Maturity | Pictures | References | Reproduction | Spawning | Fecundity | Synonyms | | |||
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| Modified by: Luna, Susan M. |
Entered by: Garilao, Cristina V. |
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