| Yellowstone cutthroat trout | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Salmoniformes |
| Family: | Salmonidae |
| Genus: | Oncorhynchus |
| Species: | |
| Subspecies: | O. v. bouvieri |
| Trinomial name | |
| Oncorhynchus virginalis bouvieri (Bendire, 1882) | |
TheYellowstone cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus virginalis bouvieri) is a subspecies ofRocky Mountain cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus virginalis).[2][3][4][5] It is afreshwaterfish in thesalmonfamily (familySalmonidae). Native only to a fewU.S. states, their original range was upstream ofShoshone Falls on theSnake River and tributaries inWyoming, also across theContinental Divide inYellowstone Lake and in theYellowstone River as well as its tributaries downstream to theTongue River inMontana.[6] The species is also found inIdaho,Utah andNevada.[7]
It is believed that it got into Yellowstone River (which drains into Atlantic) from Snake River (which drains into Pacific) drainages through a small creek known asParting of the Waters. It is one of the few aquatic species that has crossed a continental divide.[8][9]
Their range has been reduced by overfishing andhabitat destruction due to mining, grazing, and logging, and population densities have been reduced by competition with non-nativebrook,brown, andrainbow trout since these were introduced in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. However, the most serious current threats to the subspecies are interbreeding with introduced rainbow trout (resulting incutbows) in the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem, the presence oflake trout in Yellowstone and Heart lakes in Yellowstone National Park which prey upon cutthroat trout to 15 inches in length, and several outbreaks ofwhirling disease in major spawning tributaries.[10]
Although lake trout were established inShoshone andLewis lakes in the Snake River drainage from U.S. government stocking operations in 1890, they were never officially introduced into the Yellowstone River drainage and their presence there is probably the result of accidental or illegal introductions.[10][11]
Media related toOncorhynchus clarkii bouvieri at Wikimedia CommonsCutthroat trout subspecies and forms | ||
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| Pacific Coast |  | |
| Great Basin | ||
| Northern Rockies | ||
| Southern Rockies | ||
| Media related toOncorhynchus clarkii at Wikimedia Commons | ||
Authority control databases: National |
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