Species: Thymallus arcticus
Arctic Grayling
Species
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Encyclopedia of Puget Sound
Classification
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Craniata
Class
Actinopterygii
Order
Salmoniformes
Family
Salmonidae
Genus
Thymallus
NatureServe
Classification
Other Global Common Names
ombre arctique
Informal Taxonomy
Animals, Vertebrates - Fishes - Bony Fishes - Salmon and Trouts
Formal Taxonomy
Animalia - Craniata - Actinopterygii - Salmoniformes - Salmonidae - Thymallus - , and others as subspecies (Lee et al. 1980). Genus includes four species: one in Europe, two in Mongolia, and probably one widespread cross Asia and North America (Nelson 1984).
Ecology and Life History
Habitat Type Description
Freshwater
Migration
false - true - false - Migrates up streams in early spring to spawn. Migrates downstream in fall.
Non-migrant
false
Locally Migrant
true
Food Comments
Oportunistic. Fry feed mainly on zooplankton. Adults feed mainly on terrestrial and aquatic insects (larvae, pupae and adults); also crustaceans, snails, fish eggs, and small fish.
Reproduction Comments
Spawns usually in early spring (May-June). Male establishes a territory. Normally lays 400-12,500 eggs (Moyle 1976), which hatch in 11-21 days. Sexually mature in 3-4 years. Lifespan usually less than 6 years but up to 10 years (Brown 1971).
Ecology Comments
Predators probably include other fishes and predatory birds (osprey, gulls, eagles) and mammals (mink, otter).
Length
38
Conservation Status
NatureServe Global Status Rank
G5
Global Status Last Reviewed
1996-09-12
Global Status Last Changed
1996-09-12
Distribution
Conservation Status Map
<img src="http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/GetMapGif?CA.AB=S3&CA.BC=S4&CA.MB=S4&CA.NT=S3&CA.NU=SNR&CA.ON=SE&CA.SK=S5&CA.YT=S5&US.AK=S5&US.AZ=SE&US.CO=SE&US.ID=SE&US.MI=SX&US.MT=S1&US.NV=SE&US.NM=SE&US.UT=SE&US.WA=SE&US.WY=S2" alt="Conservation Status Map" style="width: 475px; height: auto;" />
Global Range
Holarctic. Northern Eurasia and North America. North America: widespread in Arctic drainages from Hudson Bay west to Alaska, and in Arctic and Pacific drainages south to central Alberta and British Columbia; upper Missouri River drainage, Montana. Formerly in rivers flowing into lakes Michigan, Huron, and Superior, northern Michigan (now extirpated). Introduced widely in western North America south to California, Arizona, and Nevada; locally common (Page and Burr 1991, Lee et al. 1980).