Coregonus lavaretus

The whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus ) is a species of the genus Coregonus, which is endemic in the Lac du Bourget Lac d' Aiguebelette in. Earlier they also occurred in the Lake Geneva.

Features

The whitefish reached a standard length of 40 centimeters. The back is slightly bent. The dorsal profile of the head and the mouth is straight. The dorsal coloration is bluish to bluish green. The flanks are silvery with a bluish hint.

Occurrence

The distribution area of the whitefish is now limited to the Lac du Bourget and the Lac d' Aiguebelette in the French department of Savoie.

Way of life

The whitefish spawn in December in shallow water near the shore area.

Endangering

Until the early 20th century, the whitefish also occurred in the Lake Geneva. Here he disappeared but on the basis of eutrophication and overfishing. The IUCN has classified the whitefish in 2008 as endangered. There are indeed no concrete information regarding a particular risk before, but the introduction faunenfremder coregonids in Lac du Bourget Lac d' Aiguebelette and could become a potential threat.

Nomenclature

In the 19th century and 20th century, the binomials Coregonus lavaretus was used for almost all European and some North American coregonids. According to the rules of the ICZN however, this is not justified, since the name whitefish was also used in 1555 by Guillaume Rondelet for the fish from the Lac du Bourget. In 1997, the taxon of Maurice Kottelat was neubeschrieben.