Salmonidae

Brook trout ( Salvelinus fontinalis )

The salmon (Salmonidae ), also salmon or trout fish family called, includes numerous genera and species of popular food fish, such as salmon, trout, whitefish, grayling. She is the only family of the salmon -like ( Salmoniformes ) and is divided into three subfamilies Coregoninae, Salmoninae and Thymallinae. Notwithstanding the Coregoninae be placed in a separate family.

Dissemination

Salmon fish originally lived exclusively in the northern hemisphere, in Europe, Asia, with the exception of the Arabian Peninsula, the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, the western and northern North America, Iceland and on the coast of Greenland. Salmon fish either live their entire lives in fresh water or migratory species that are born in fresh water, then migrate into the coastal sea, living there for several years and then migrate to spawn back to their birth waters. In Europe there are six native species and six more that have been introduced by humans from North America.

Some salmonid species have been naturalized by man for economic reasons in other parts of the world, including countries in the southern hemisphere with a temperate climate, such as New Zealand, South Australia, Argentina and Chile, but also in the Andes of Peru.

Features

Salmonids have an elongated, oval in cross-section body. Their fins have only soft rays. The pelvic fins are located in the center of the body. Between the single dorsal fin and the tail fin in almost all kinds of a small adipose fin. The spine consists of 50 to 75 vertebrae, the last three vertebrae in the tail, forming an upward-pointing bow. The gill apparatus comprises 7 to 20 gill rays ( 4 gill arches ), which are partially formed in plankton eaters as traps. The lateral line is well trained and complete.

Salmon fish are 12 centimeters to 1.50 meters long. Genetically is noteworthy that they are tetraploid.

Differences between the subfamilies

The Coregoninae ( Renken and relatives ) have a small mouth, large scales, less than 110 along the lateral line organ, less than 16 fin rays in the dorsal fin, no teeth on the maxilla and only little or none on the vomer. They are plain gray, whitish or brown.

The Thymallinae ( grayling ) have a small mouth, medium-sized shed, more than 17 fin rays in the dorsal fin and very large teeth on the maxilla.

The Salmoninae ( trout, salmon, and relatives) have a big mouth, small shed, more than 110 along the lateral line organ, less than 16 fin rays in the dorsal fin and strong teeth, even on the maxilla. The males often develop a hook-shaped upper and lower jaw. They are often very colorful.

Way of life

All salmonids prefer cool waters, mountain streams and rivers, as well as deep cool lakes. They feed carnivorous to the kleinmäuligen Coregoninae of zooplankton, the other species by larger crustaceans and small fish. All salmon fish spawn in fresh water over gravelly or stony ground. To this end, the female beats by heavy tail movements from a spawning pit. The development of the eggs takes in the cool spawning waters 1.5 to about 6 months.

System

The salmon fish are the only family of salmon -like ( Salmoniformes ). They are divided into three subfamilies, the Salmoninae that Thymallinae and Coregoninae. Kladistisch form Salmoninae and Thymallinae a common taxon is the sister group of the Coregoninae. The Coregoninae are sometimes regarded as a separate family. The oldest fossil salmonids is Eosalmo from the Middle Eocene of North America, which is the primitive sister group of all extant genera of Salmoninae.

Through the Ice Age, many populations were repeatedly separated and isolated in small and very small water bodies. Thus, a variety originated very close to each other related species, subspecies and forms, a kinship which are poorly understood. Brought together many species hybridize again.

There are eleven genera and nearly 200 species:

  • Lachsartige ( Salmoniformes ) Salmon (Salmonidae ) Subfamily Coregoninae Coregonus
  • Prosopium
  • Stenodus
  • Grayling ( Thymallus )
  • Brachymystax
  • Hucho
  • Oncorhynchus
  • Parahucho
  • Salmo
  • Arctic char ( Salvelinus )
  • Salvethymus

Economic Importance

Salmon fish are tasty edible fish are caught by professional fishermen, bred in fish farms and fish farms and are also sought-after destination of anglers. In Europe, 300,000 tons of Atlantic salmon come from fish farms to the market. The amount of income from fish farms now surpasses the wild-caught by far.

Teleostei Taxonomic rank#All ranks Protacanthopterygii Pieter Bleeker Freshwater whitefish Carnivore Coregonus lavaretus Stenodus leucichthys Fisherman Fish farming Joseph S. Nelson FishBase
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