North Macedonia is a country situated in southeastern Europe with geographic coordinates 41°50′N22°00′E, bordering Kosovo and Serbia to the north, Bulgaria to the east, Greece to the south and Albania to the west. The country is part of the wider region of Macedonia and makes up most of Vardar Macedonia. The country is a major transportation corridor from Western and Central Europe to Southern Europe and the Aegean Sea. North Macedonia is a landlocked country but has three major natural lakes: Lake Ohrid, Lake Prespa and Lake Dojran. It has a water area of 857 km2, while its land area is 24,856 km2.
Trout are species of freshwater fish belonging to the genera Oncorhynchus, Salmo and Salvelinus, all of the subfamily Salmoninae of the family Salmonidae. The word trout is also used as part of the name of some non-salmonid fish such as Cynoscion nebulosus, the spotted seatrout or speckled trout.
Salmo is a genus of fish in the salmon family Salmonidae that includes the European species of salmon and trout, among them the familiar Atlantic salmon Salmo salar and the brown trout Salmo trutta. The natural distribution of Salmo also extends to Northern Africa and to Western Asia around the Black Sea basin. The single Salmo species naturally found in the Atlantic North America is the Atlantic salmon, whereas the salmon and trout of the Pacific basin belong to another genus, Oncorhynchus. The generic name Salmo derives from the Latin salmō (salmon). The number of distinct species and subspecies in Salmo is a debated issue. Atlantic salmon and brown trout are widespread species, while most of the other taxa are narrowly distributed forms endemic to single watersheds.
Lake Ohrid is a lake which straddles the mountainous border between the southwestern part of North Macedonia and eastern Albania. It is one of Europe's deepest and oldest lakes, with a unique aquatic ecosystem of worldwide importance, with more than 200 endemic species.
Salmo obtusirostris, also known as the Adriatic trout, Adriatic salmon, and softmouth trout, is a species of salmonid fish endemic to the rivers of Western Balkans in southeastern Europe. The scientific name has changed several times through history; synonyms include Thymallus microlepis, Salmothymus obtusirostris and Salar obtusirostris.
Ohrid trout or the Lake Ohrid brown trout is an endemic species of trout in Lake Ohrid and in its tributaries and outlet, the Black Drin river, in North Macedonia and Albania. Locally, the fish is known as охридска пастрмка in Macedonian and koran in Albanian.
Salmo carpio, also known as the carpione is a salmonid fish endemic to Lake Garda in Italy. It has been introduced to a number of other lakes in Italy and elsewhere but unsuccessfully in all cases. The population in Lake Garda has been strongly declining, and is considered critically endangered. The main threats are due to overfishing, pollution and possibly competition from introduced species such as Coregonus and other Salmonidae.
Rutilus ohridanus is a type of roach, a small freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae. It is endemic to two large lakes in the Balkans: Lake Ohrid in Albania and North Macedonia, and Lake Skadar in Albania and Montenegro. It is no larger than 13 cm in length. This is an abundant fish, not under threat.
Salmo ohridanus, also known by the local name as the belvica in Northern Macedonia or belushka in Albania, is a species of freshwater salmonid fish, endemic to Lake Ohrid in Albania and North Macedonia.
Salmo balcanicus is a type of trout, a fish in the family Salmonidae. It is endemic to Lake Ohrid and its outlet in North Macedonia and Albania in the Balkans.
Salmo dentex is a variety of trout, a freshwater fish in the family Salmonidae, found in the western Balkans. Until recently the identity, biological distinctness and species status of the dentex trout were not properly clarified, but genetic data now suggest it is not a monophyletic unit that could be distinguished from other salmonids as a separate species.
Salmo lumi is a type of trout, a fish in the family Salmonidae. It is endemic to Lake Ohrid and its tributaries in Albania and North Macedonia.
Salmo marmoratus, the marble trout, is a species of freshwater fish in the family Salmonidae. It is characterized by a distinctive marbled color pattern and high growth capacity. The marble trout is found in only handful drainages and rivers of the Adriatic basin in Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro, while in Albania, the species is considered most likely extirpated.
Salmo peristericus, or the Prespa trout is a variety of trout, a freshwater fish in the family Salmonidae. It is endemic to the Lake Prespa watershed at the border area of Greece and North Macedonia.
The Ohrid spirlin is a fish species of family Cyprinidae. This species is endemic to Lake Ohrid in North Macedonia and Albania in the Balkans. It is a benthopelagic temperate freshwater fish, up to 9 cm in length. It was originally named as a subspecies of Alburnoides bipunctatus. It is threatened by non-indigenous species of fish, many of which have been introduced into Lake Ohrid.
The fish fauna of the Neretva river basin in the western Balkans is representative of the Dinaric karst region and characterized by several endemic and endangered species.
Ohrid-Prespa Transboundary Biosphere Reserve is a biosphere reserve encompassing the area of Lake Ohrid and Lake Prespa, on North Macedonia and Albania.
For a small country, Albania is characterised by a considerable wealth of terrestrial and marine ecosystems and habitats with contrasting floral and faunal species, defined in an area of 28,748 square kilometres. Most of the country is predominantly of Mediterranean character, comprehending the country's center and south, while the alpine affinity is more visible in the northeast.
Over 22,500 species of wildlife have been recorded in North Macedonia. The majority of these are animals, with invertebrates making up over half of the total species of recorded wildlife. Of these, the vast majority are insects, which include over 10,000 identified species. Over 3000 of these insects are beetles, with other large clades including Lepidoptera, flies, and Hymenoptera. Other arthropods invertebrate groups include Chelicerata and crustaceans. Among vertebrates, there have been over 300 species of birds recorded at some point, although not all nest in the area. There are over 80 species of both fish and mammals, 32 reptiles, and 14 amphibians.
