| Salmonidae (Salmonids), subfamily: Salmoninae |
| 43 cm SL (male/unsexed) |
|
benthopelagic; freshwater |
| Africa: endemic to Isli Lake in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco (Ref. 107622). |
|
Vertebrae: 53-55. Diagnosis: It differs from other known species of the genus Salmo from Morocco, except Salmo pallaryi, by the absence of spots or marks on the body; it has a lesser number of anal pterygophores, 10-11 than Salmo pallaryi, 12-14, and shorter orbital length; horizontal orbital length with respect to the head length is 16-23% of head length in Salmo viridis vs. 25-31% of head length in Salmo pallaryi (Ref. 107622). The following combination of characters are also diagnostic to Salmo viridis: vomer teeth in one row, premaxilla extended laterally, supramaxilla short and deep, dorsal fin pterygophores from 11 to 13; and one molecular autapomorphy in the MT-CYTB gene in the nucleotide position 508 (Ref. 107622).
Description: It is a large-sized species that reaches 500 mm of standard length; the caudal peduncle is more elongated, in comparison to other trout populations, and the proportion of body to least depth, with respect to caudal peduncle length, is 25.3-26.0% of caudal peduncle length in females and 23.5-27.1% of caudal peduncle length in males; the head is small, relative to the body, with head length 21.7-24.4% of standard length in females and 21.4-24.8% of standard length in males; the skull is narrow with a pointed snout; the preorbital distance is large and the proportion, with respect to head length, is 26.0-31.0% of head length in females and 21.6-34.0% of head length in males; the fourth and fifth infraorbitals are wide and extended over the hyomandibular bone (Ref. 107622). The supramaxilla is short and deep; the length of the maxilla is variable in this species and usually reaches the edge of the posterior eye orbit; the length of the maxilla, in proportion and with respect to head length is 44.4-56.3% of standard length in females and 46.5-52.8% of standard length in males; the upper jaw is narrow; the maximum height of the upper jaw, in proportion to its length, is 28.4-33.1% of upper jaw length in females and 24.6-32.2% of upper jaw length in males; the eye orbit is small, in proportion to head length, the horizontal diameter being 17.5-19.4% of head length in females and 15.6-22.8% of head length in males, and the vertical diameter being 16.4-19.8% of head length in females and 13.8-20.0% of head length in males; the vomer teeth are placed in one row and are small and thin (Ref. 107622).
Colouration: The colouration is uniformly grayish with some greenish iridizations, paler in the ventra region; the pectoral fins are slightly yellow and caudal, adipose and anal fins are greenish; no spot or marks are found, only some traces in caudal fin and dorsal skull (Ref. 107622). |
| This species inhabits Isli Lake, situated on a high plateau, 2270 meters above sea level; it is a large and deep, ±2 km of diameter and 92 m deep, oligotrophic lake (Ref. 107622). The spawning of this species takes place at the end of October and November in the sandy beaches of the lake (Ref. 107622). The habitat of this species is threatened due to eutrophication, related to intensive overpasture; overfishing is also a problem due to the low protection of the lake; no juveniles have been observed in the last years and several malformations in fins and skull were observed; therefore this species should be included in the IUCN category of endangered (Ref. 107622). |
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Critically Endangered (CR); Date assessed: 03 May 2021 (B1ab(iii,v)+2ab(iii,v)) Ref. (130435)
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| harmless |
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