Salvelinus willughbii | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Salmoniformes |
Family: | Salmonidae |
Genus: | Salvelinus |
Species: | S. willughbii |
Binomial name | |
Salvelinus willughbii (Günther, 1862) | |
Salvelinus willughbii, also known as the Windermere charr or Willoughby's charr, is a cold-water fish in the family Salmonidae. Its binomial species name commemorates Francis Willughby. They are remnants from the end of the last ice-age, landlocked and isolated in various lakes within Cumbria, England. [2] S. willughbii are a subspecies of Arctic charr that inhabit Lake Windermere, Coniston Water, Wast Water, Ennerdale Water, Buttermere, Crummock Water, and Lowes Water in The Lake District of Cumbria, England.The species has been listed on the IUCN Red List as endangered due to increased water temperatures, decreased levels of oxygen, and overfishing within Lake Windermere.
In the fall and winter months, S. willughbii possess long bodies with dark coloration on the top dorsal side, [3] grey coloration near the medial line, and muddled pink coloration on ventral side with a white belly. Light pink spots run along the body above and slightly below the medial line. [3] Both dorsal and caudal fins are dark along with muddled pink coloration of the pelvic, anal, and pectoral fins. [3] The head is dark on the top portion and silver on the cheeks. In the spring and summer months, coloration lightens and the back turns from dark to blue or even olive in color. [3] Coloration on the belly turns more vibrant as well as the coloration on the pelvic, anal, and pectoral fins. [3] The head of adult males are conical, and sharper compared to adult females who have a more rounded appearance. The mouth in all specimens is white on the lower portion and occasionally dark on the upper portion.
Normal adult S. willughbii on average reach lengths of 10–12 inches and can reach lengths of up to 18 inches. [4] Adult males on average range from 9–14 ounces in weight while females generally range from 8–13 ounces. [4] The largest recorded specimen from the Lake District caught in 1973 weighed 1 pound 11 ounces. Dwarf variants do not get as large as the normal type and reach sizes of 7.5 to 8.5 inches. Dwarf charr on average weigh anywhere from 2.5–4.2 ounces. [4]
This specific subspecies is found in several lakes within The Lake District of Cumbria, England. Lakes that are confirmed to hold populations of S. willughbii include: Lake Windermere, Coniston Water, Wast Water, Ennerdale Water, Buttermere, Crummock Water, and Loweswater. [3] Historically, a population of S. willughbii resided in Goat's Water but is now thought to be extinct. [3]
S. willughbii often consume a diet of small planktonic organisms, copepods, and diplostracan species in the mid-water and bottom dwelling invertebrates off the bottom. [5] In the late spring and summer months they feed primarily on small mid-water organisms and insects. During spawning periods in the winter and early spring months charr eggs are also a staple. [5]
S. willughbii seek rocky areas where roughly acorn sized stones and larger are prevalent. [6] Depth and time of year that spawning occurs depends on the population present within a given lake. Early in the spawning season, males will move into a chosen area and will wait for females to enter the spawning ground. Once females enter a spawning ground, [6] they will begin to disturb or dig the gravel using their tail and making a slight indentation into a chosen spot. When a male mate is found following the digging of a bed, the act of spawning occurs between the male and female. [6] Once eggs have been deposited into the nest and fertilized, the female once again digs gravel using her tail and covers the eggs. Males are known to stay on nests longer, most likely for protection. [6]
There are two spawning populations within Windermere that spawn during different times of the year. [6] Spawning occurs in both autumn and springtime, mainly in the months of November and February respectively. In autumn, most spawning beds are found in shallow areas (3–12 ft) in either the lake or the River Brathay. In springtime, spawning occurs in the main lake and in deep water (50–70 ft).
Spawning occurs primarily in the month of march in roughly 40 feet of water. [6]
Spawning occurs in early November and occurs in the River Liza connecting to the main lake; however, depth is unknown. [6]
Spawning occurs in main lakes during January and is thought to be in water ranging from 30–60 feet deep. [6]
S. willughbii (under the name Willoughby's Charr) is currently classified as endangered according to the IUCN Red List. [7]
Decreased oxygen levels and increases in water temperature are becoming an ever-increasing threat to S. willughbii populations. [2] In Windermere, sewage plants have dumped large amounts of waste into the lake and created anoxic conditions through eutrophication. With the increased sewage content and water temperatures, algal blooms have been prevalent. Since 1992 phosphate stripping has been employed at wastewater treatment plants surrounding Lake Windermere to combat algal blooms. [8] However, runoff from land continues to present problems and attempts are being made to manage the amount of phosphate that enters the lake. [8] In Ennerdale Water, spawning grounds found in the River Liza have been subject to blockage through a man-made pipe bridge. [9] This bridge restricted the flow of adequate size gravel to pass through the river and make it to spawning grounds close to the lake. Acidification of water within the river also proved problematic from the non-native tree litter that fell into the waters. In recent times, efforts have been made to assist the charr population within Ennerdale Water and led to the removal of the pipe bridge and replanting of native trees surrounding the River Liza. [9]
The introduction of invasive species to waters within the lake district have provided increased competition for native charr populations. Such species as common roach feed on the same food sources as S. willughbii and are an increasingly detrimental factor as roach populations grow larger. [10]
Most fishing done in recent years within the Lake District consists of hand lining techniques that are a traditional practice as well as rod and reel fishing. Catches have reportedly been lower among fisherman as populations continue to decline. Commercial fishing using nets was reported to have started as early as the late 17th century and was stopped due to concerns of population size in the early 20th century. [11]
S. willughbii residing in Lake Windermere have been found to be infected with a species of zoonotic tapeworm Diphyllobothrium dendriticum [12] . North basin fish are thought to have a higher level of infection compared to those in the south basin. Differences in infection level are also present among spring and autumn spawners. Not much is known about the effects of the tapeworm on the fish, however in most cases it is usually insignificant.
The lake trout is a freshwater char living mainly in lakes in northern North America. Other names for it include mackinaw, namaycush,lake char (or charr), touladi, togue, and grey trout. In Lake Superior, it can also be variously known as siscowet, paperbelly and lean. The lake trout is prized both as a game fish and as a food fish. Those caught with dark coloration may be called mud hens.
The Lake District, also known as the Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region and national park in Cumbria, North West England. It is famous for its landscape, including its lakes, coast, and the Cumbrian mountains, and for its literary associations with Beatrix Potter, John Ruskin, and the Lake Poets.
The brook trout is a species of freshwater fish in the char genus Salvelinus of the salmon family Salmonidae native to Eastern North America in the United States and Canada. Two ecological forms of brook trout have been recognized by the US Forest Service. One ecological form is short-lived potamodromous populations in Lake Superior known as coaster trout or coasters. The second ecological form is the long-living predaceous anadromous populations which are found in northern lakes and coastal rivers from Long Island to Hudson Bay, which are referred to as salters. In parts of its range, it is also known as the eastern brook trout, speckled trout, brook char, squaretail, brookie, or mud trout, among others. Adult coaster brook trout are capable of reaching sizes over 2 feet in length and weigh up to 6.8 kg (15 lb), whereas adult salters average between 6 and 15 inches in length and weigh between 0.5 and 2.3 kg. The brook trout is characterized by its distinctive olive-green body with yellow and blue-rimmed red spots, white and black edged orange fins, and dorsal vermiculation. The diet of the brook trout is restrictive to the season and location of the fish, but will typically consist of terrestrial and aquatic insects, fry, crustaceans, zooplankton, and worms.
The Arctic char or Arctic charr is a cold-water fish in the family Salmonidae, native to alpine lakes, as well as Arctic and subarctic coastal waters in the Holarctic.
The Dolly Varden trout is a species of salmonid ray-finned fish native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. Despite the name "trout", it belongs to the genus Salvelinus (chars), which includes 51 recognized species, the most prominent being the brook, lake and bull trout as well as the Arctic char. Although many populations are semi-anadromous, riverine and lacustrine populations occur throughout its range. It is considered by taxonomists as part of the Salvelinus alpinus complex, as many populations of bull trout, Dolly Varden trout and Arctic char overlap.
Salvelinus is a genus of salmonid fish often called char or charr; some species are called "trout". Salvelinus is a member of the subfamily Salmoninae within the family Salmonidae. The genus has a northern circumpolar distribution, and most of its members are typically cold-water fish that primarily inhabit fresh waters. Many species also migrate to the sea.
The splake or slake is a hybrid of two fish species resulting from the crossing of a male brook trout and a female lake trout. The name itself is a portmanteau of speckled trout and lake trout, and may have been used to describe such hybrids as early as the 1880s. Hybrids of the male lake trout with the female brook trout have also been produced, but are not as successful.
The River Liza flows through Ennerdale, a glacial valley in Cumbria, England. The river is allowed to flow freely as part of a rewilding project.
Ennerdale is a valley in Cumbria, England. Ennerdale Water, fed by the River Liza, is the most westerly lake in the Lake District National Park.
Salvethymus svetovidovi, also called the long-finned charr, is a species of salmonid fish. It is endemic to Elgygytgyn Lake in Chukotka, Far East of Russia, together with another species, the small-mouth char Salvelinus elgyticus. A third char species in the same lake is Salvelinusboganidae, the Boganid char.
Salvelinus inframundus, also known as Orkney charr is a cold-water fish in the family Salmonidae which is endemic to Scotland.
Salvelinus killinensis, also known as Haddy charr is a variety of charr found in certain lakes in Scotland.
Salvelinus umbla, also known as lake char, is a species of char found in certain lakes of the region of the Alps in Europe.
Winifred Evelyn Frost was a freshwater biologist. Her research focused primarily on eels, minnows, pike, and char by observing fish in the wild. After some time as chair, Frost was then appointed president of the Windermere and District Angling Association.
The Sunapee trout, also called blueback trout, Sunapee Golden trout, or Quebec red trout, is a putative subspecies of Arctic char native to northeastern New England in the United States, as well as Québec and New Brunswick in Canada, with introduced populations in Idaho.
Charlotte Kipling was born on 7 June 1919 in Toxteth Park, Liverpool, Lancashire, England. She was a statistician and ichthyologist. Starting in 1941 she was employed by the British Navy as a cipher officer in Liverpool. She was associated with the Navy until 1946. In 1947 she was hired by the Freshwater Biological Association in Windermere, Cumbria. She collected data on the changes in the char, pike, and perch populations in the Windermere lake. She was a member of the Royal Statistical Society and the Institute of Biology. She died in 1992 in Millerground Windermere, Cumbria, England.
A kype is a hook-like secondary sex characteristic which develops at the distal tip of the lower jaw in some male salmonids prior to the spawning season. The structure usually develops in the weeks prior to, and during, migration to the spawning grounds. In addition to the development of the kype, a large depression forms in the two halves of the premaxilla in the upper jaw, allowing the kype to fit into the premaxilla when the mouth is closed.
The Sommen charr is a population or subspecies of Arctic charr found in Lake Sommen. It is one of twenty-two species of fish found in the lake.
Salvelinus alpinus erythrinus, also known as Baikal charr or davatchan, is a subspecies of freshwater fish in the salmon family. It is endemic to the mountains north of Lake Baikal in the Russian Far East. The fish is edible and it is reported that the population of the species shrunk rapidly over the recent years due to over-fishing.
Salvelinus taimyricus, commonly known as the taimy char, is a species of freshwater fish in the salmon family. It is found in the Lake Taymyr at the Taymyr Peninsula in Arctic Russia.