Creatures in Crisis
Photograph of Salvelinus grayi (Salvelinus grayi), recorded as Critically Endangered
Salvelinus grayi (Salvelinus grayi). Image via Wikimedia Commons.

Critically Endangered

Salvelinus grayi

Salvelinus grayi

Salvelinus grayi is a salmonid in the family Salmonidae (order Salmoniformes), recorded as Critically Endangered.

Status
Critically Endangered
Scientific name
Salvelinus grayi
Taxonomy
Salmoniformes · Salmonidae · Salvelinus

Appearance

Compared to other members of the Salvelinus genus, it has a deeper body that is more laterally compressed, a shorter caudal peduncle and larger scales. It can be distinguished from other char by the whitish spots on upper flank and caudal and dorsal fins. Salvelinus grayi, also called Gray's char, Lough Melvin char or freshwater herring, is a lacustrine char in the family Salmonidae.

This species grows to an average length of 10 to 12 in (25 to 30 cm) and a weight of 8 ounces (230 g).

Range and habitat

It is only found in Lough Melvin, Ireland. Numbers of fish are declining and the species is considered critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Pins are Wikidata “endemic to” fields. Orange dots, when present, are GBIF occurrence tiles — survey bias included.

Diet

Salmonids need cold, oxygenated water and a clean gravel or open-lake feeding ground. Endemic whitefishes collapse when the lake is eutrophied or fished out.

In crisis

Recorded numbers in Lough Melvin declined from 33 in 1975 and 42 in 1986, to only 12 in 2001, and the species is considered critically endangered.

Salvelinus grayi is Critically Endangered on this catalog because that is the IUCN category stored on Wikidata. Confirm the official criteria and any later count on iucnredlist.org.

Sources

Written for this catalog from the English Wikipedia article on Salvelinus grayi, Wikidata item Q6431271. Family and order context is original field-guide writing about the group, not a copied assessment of this one species. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA. Not an IUCN assessment. Counts, when quoted, can change — confirm them on the recovery programme and on iucnredlist.org.

Photograph via Wikimedia Commons. Wikipedia · Wikidata · IUCN Red List.

Same genus

Photograph of Kirikuchi char (Salvelinus japonicus), recorded as EndangeredEN

Kirikuchi char

Salvelinus japonicus
Photograph of Salvelinus profundus (Salvelinus profundus), recorded as EndangeredEN

Salvelinus profundus

Salvelinus profundus
Photograph of Salvelinus willoughbii (Salvelinus willoughbii), recorded as EndangeredEN

Salvelinus willoughbii

Salvelinus willoughbii
Photograph of Vaquita (Phocoena sinus), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Vaquita

Phocoena sinus

Quick answers

What is Salvelinus grayi?
Salvelinus grayi is a salmonid in the family Salmonidae (order Salmoniformes).
What is the conservation status of Salvelinus grayi?
Critically Endangered, as the IUCN category stored on Wikidata for Salvelinus grayi. Confirm the official assessment on iucnredlist.org.
Where does Salvelinus grayi live?
It is only found in Lough Melvin, Ireland. Numbers of fish are declining and the species is considered critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Why is Salvelinus grayi in crisis?
It is only found in Lough Melvin, Ireland. Numbers of fish are declining and the species is considered critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Is this the IUCN Red List page for Salvelinus grayi?
No. This is a researched catalog account. The Red List is the assessment.
Is Salvelinus grayi a pet?
An animal on this catalog is in crisis in the wild. Keeping one is usually the wrong question.