Salvelinus murta

Salvelinus murta, also known as the Murta char, is a cold-water fish in the family Salmonidae sometimes referenced as a subspecies of Arctic char. The Murta char is one of the few vertebrate species exclusively endemic to Iceland.[1] The species range lies entirely within the lake Þingvallavatn.[2] The Murta Char was originally described by the Icelandic icthyologist Bjarni Sæmundsson in 1909.[3] According to the most recent IUCN assessment in 2008, there are some piscivorous individual variants displaying non-standard morphology that eat three-spined stickleback although most individuals rely heavily on zooplankton and aquatic insects. The Murta Char is confirmed to live up to 18 years with first spawning usually occurring at 3–6 years of age in October.[4]

Salvelinus murta
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Salmoniformes
Family: Salmonidae
Genus: Salvelinus
Species:
S. murta
Binomial name
Salvelinus murta
(Saemundsson, 1909)

Description

The species is recognized by silvery bluish flanks and pale spots. Spawning males become more brown with yellow tinted spots. There is no obvious white anterior margin to the pectoral, pelvic, or anal fins. The snout is conical and has a longer diameter than the eye. The mouth is subterminal, with only a slight projection of the upper jaw.[5]

References
  1. "Animals and Plants Unique to Iceland". lntreasures.com. Archived from the original on 2022-04-07. Retrieved 2022-06-05.
  2. "Il salmerino murta, Salvelinus murta (Saemundsson, 1909)". www.ittiofauna.org. Archived from the original on 2022-06-05. Retrieved 2022-06-05.
  3. "Salvelinus murta (Saemundsson, 1908)". www.gbif.org. Archived from the original on 2022-01-04. Retrieved 2022-06-05.
  4. "IUCN Red List of Threatened Species". Archived from the original on 2022-06-05. Retrieved 2022-06-05.
  5. "Salvelinus murta". www.fishbase.in.
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