| Gravenche | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Salmoniformes |
| Family: | Salmonidae |
| Genus: | Coregonus |
| Species: | †C. hiemalis |
| Binomial name | |
| †Coregonus hiemalis Jurine, 1825 | |
Thegravenche (Coregonus hiemalis), also known as theLake Geneva whitefish or thelittle fera, is a presumably extinct freshwater fish fromLake Geneva inSwitzerland andFrance.
The gravenche was a species offreshwater whitefish (Coregoninae) that reached a length between 25 and 32 centimetres (9.8 and 12.6 in).[1][2]
The status of the gravenche is disputed because there are no specimens in museums. WhileEmile Dottrens described it as subspecies of the common whitefishCoregonus lavaretus in 1958, other experts likeMaurice Kottelat regarded it as a full species endemic toLake Geneva.[1][3]
The gravenche is abenthopelagicfreshwater fish that swam in the water column near the lake bottom, feeding uponzooplankton.Spawning occurred in mid-December.[3]
Together with the likewise extincttrue fera (Coregonus fera), the gravenche was one of the most important species for fisheries inLake Geneva in the late 19th century. In 1890 these two fishes made up 68% of all fish caught in the lake.[2]Overfishing andeutrophication drove the gravenche to near extinction and it was last seen in the early 1900s.[4][5]
