Salmo trutta, Linnaeus, 1758

Freyhof, JÖrg, Yoğurtçuoğlu, Baran, Jouladeh-Roudbar, Arash & Kaya, Cüneyt, 2025, Handbook of Freshwater Fishes of West Asia, De Gruyter : 649-650

Salmo trutta

Common name. Atlantic trout.

Diagnosis. Distinguished from other species of Salmo in Euphrates and Tigris (based on materials from Türkiye) by: ○ 15–17 scale rows between lateral line and end of adipose base / ○ 28–33 scale rows between lateral line and dorsal origin / ○ lateral line with 117–125 scales counted until end of hypural complex / ○ adipose depth 8–10 % SL in male / ○ black and red spots on flank roundish / ○ numerous black spots on back, middle and upper part of flank / ○ number of black spots increasing with size / ○ flank brownish in life. Size up to 900 mm SL in native range. Anadromous and lacustrine individuals usually 450–600 mm SL, resident individuals usually 200–300 mm SL.

Distribution. Türkiye: introduced into Arpet (a tributary of Botan in upper Tigris) and Sapur (a small tributary of Lake Van), but it appears to have become vanished in these areas due to poaching. Iran: introduced and established in Lake Gahar in Karun drainage. Native to Atlantic, North, White, and Baltic basins, from Spain to Chosha Bay ( Russia). Present in Iceland and northernmost rivers of Great Britain

and Scandinavia. In Rhône drainage, native only to Lake Geneva basin, which it entered after last glaciation. Native to upper Danube and Volga drainages. Introduced throughout Europe, North and South America, southern and montane eastern Africa, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Japan, New Zealand, and Australia.

Habitat. Cold streams, rivers, and lakes. Spawns in fast-flowing rivers and streams. Lacustrine populations migrate to tributaries and lake outlets, rarely spawning on stony, wave-washed lake shores. Spawning sites are usually characterised by downward movement of water into gravel. Sea and lake trout forage in pelagic and littoral habitats; sea trout usually close to coast, not far from mouth of natal river.

Biology. Unstudied in Anatolian populations.

Conservation status. Non-native.

Further reading. Elliot 1994 (ecology); Bernatchez 2001 (phylogeography); Klemetsen et al. 2003 (life history); Kaya 2020c (record from Tigris and Lake Van drainages); Guinand et al. 2021 (multi-species opinion piece on Salmo taxonomy); Hashemzadeh Segherloo et al. 2021 (genomic data).

Salmo sp. , GÖnen drainage, Türkiye; 220 mm SL.