Acantholingua ohridana
Encyclopedia
Salmo ohridanus, also known by the local name as the belvica, is a species of freshwater salmonid fish, endemic to Lake Ohrid
in Albania
and Macedonia.
Salmo ohridanus is a relatively small fish, usually shorter than 30 cm and less than 0.5 kg weight. It is a commercially exploited species subject to heavy fishing, and has been bred in fish farms for over 50 years. It has also been intentionally hybridized with another endemic species, the Ohrid trout (Salmo letnica
). It is threatened by the hybridization, degradation of water quality and overfishing; but the stock remains abundant.
In earlier literature the belvica has variously been treated as belonging to suggested endemic genera Acantholingua and Salmothymus
. Genetic studies however indicate it is a good member of the Salmo
genus, and closest to the softmouth trout
Salmo obtusirostris. Nevertheless it is quite distinct from the brown trout
complex.
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...
in 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...
and Macedonia.
Salmo ohridanus is a relatively small fish, usually shorter than 30 cm and less than 0.5 kg weight. It is a commercially exploited species subject to heavy fishing, and has been bred in fish farms for over 50 years. It has also been intentionally hybridized with another endemic species, the Ohrid trout (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...
). It is threatened by the hybridization, degradation of water quality and overfishing; but the stock remains abundant.
In earlier literature the belvica has variously been treated as belonging to suggested endemic genera Acantholingua and Salmothymus
Salmothymus
Salmothymus is a genus name of fish in the Salmonidae family, established for the Adriatic trout . More commonly, however, the species is considered a member of the wider genus Salmo, i.e. Salmo obtusirostris. Salmothymus thus is a junior synonym of Salmo, not in current use....
. Genetic studies however indicate it is a good member of the Salmo
Salmo
Salmo is a genus of fish in the salmon family that includes the familiar species Atlantic salmon and brown trout . The natural distribution of the genus is chiefly European. Only the range of the Atlantic salmon extends to northern North America...
genus, and closest to the softmouth trout
Salmo obtusirostris
Salmo obtusirostris, also known as the Adriatic trout, Adriatic salmon, and softmouth trout, is a species of salmonid fish endemic to the rivers of Western Balkans in southeastern Europe...
Salmo obtusirostris. Nevertheless it is quite distinct from the brown trout
Brown trout
The brown trout and the sea trout are fish of the same species....
complex.