Salmo balcanicus
Encyclopedia
Salmo balcanicus is a type of trout
, a fish in the Salmonidae
family. It is endemic to Lake Ohrid
and its outlet in Macedonia and Albania
in the Balkans
.
Salmo balcanicus is one of four different forms of the Ohrid trout complex which is endemic to the single lake, along with Salmo letnica
, Salmo aphelios
and Salmo lumi
. The various forms, suggested to be different species, are distinguished by their breeding time and habitat, by which they in practice are reproductively isolated from each other. There is no support for their distinct species status from molecular data however. Salmo balcanicus specifically spawns from October to January at the outlet of the lake, Black Drin
, in the northwestern end of the lake near the Macedonian-Albanian border area. As the river has been dammed, it is suspected that the population may have gone extinct.
The flesh of Salmo balcanicus is typically of pale pink colour. Overall the Ohrid trouts are silvery in colour, with black dots. Red dots occur along the lateral line
. Salmo balcanicus can grow to 40 cm length.
Trout
Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
, a fish in the Salmonidae
Salmonidae
Salmonidae is a family of ray-finned fish, the only living family currently placed in the order Salmoniformes. It includes salmon, trout, chars, freshwater whitefishes and graylings...
family. It is endemic to Lake Ohrid
Lake Ohrid
Lake Ohrid straddles the mountainous border between the southwestern Macedonia and eastern Albania. It is one of Europe's deepest and oldest lakes, preserving a unique aquatic ecosystem with more than 200 endemic species that is of worldwide importance...
and its outlet in Macedonia and Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
in the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
.
Salmo balcanicus is one of four different forms of the Ohrid trout complex which is endemic to the single lake, along with Salmo letnica
Salmo letnica
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 the Republic of Macedonia and Albania in the Balkans...
, Salmo aphelios
Salmo aphelios
Salmo aphelios is a variety of trout, a salmonid fish endemic to Lake Ohrid in Macedonia and Albania in the Balkans.Salmo aphelios is one of four different forms of the Ohrid trout complex within the single lake, along with Salmo balcanicus, Salmo letnica and Salmo lumi...
and Salmo lumi
Salmo lumi
Salmo lumi is a type of trout, a fish in the Salmonidae family. It is endemic to Lake Ohrid and its tributaries in Albania and Macedonia....
. The various forms, suggested to be different species, are distinguished by their breeding time and habitat, by which they in practice are reproductively isolated from each other. There is no support for their distinct species status from molecular data however. Salmo balcanicus specifically spawns from October to January at the outlet of the lake, Black Drin
Black Drin
The Black Drin is a river in Albania and the Republic of Macedonia. It flows out of Lake Ohrid in Struga, Macedonia. After approximately it crosses the border to Albania, west of Debar. It merges with the White Drin in Kukës to form the Drin, which flows into the Adriatic Sea...
, in the northwestern end of the lake near the Macedonian-Albanian border area. As the river has been dammed, it is suspected that the population may have gone extinct.
The flesh of Salmo balcanicus is typically of pale pink colour. Overall the Ohrid trouts are silvery in colour, with black dots. Red dots occur along the lateral line
Lateral line
The lateral line is a sense organ in aquatic organisms , used to detect movement and vibration in the surrounding water. Lateral lines are usually visible as faint lines running lengthwise down each side, from the vicinity of the gill covers to the base of the tail...
. Salmo balcanicus can grow to 40 cm length.