Sheepheaven Creek redband trout

The Sheepheaven Creek redband trout is a local Californian variety of the rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), a freshwater fish in the family Salmonidae. It is considered either a distinct western form of the McCloud River redband trout (subspecies Oncorhynchus mykiss stonei),[1] or a subspecies of its own, which has not been scientifically named and described yet.[2] It is native to Sheepheaven Creek, Siskiyou County, California, United States.[3][4] It has been transplanted into Swamp Creek in 1972 and 1974 and into Trout Creek in 1977. They can now be found in both locations.[5] Sheepheaven Creek redband are found to be the most distinct anatomically among all other western North American trout[specify] groups, and therefore has been suggested to merit recognition as a new subspecies.[2][6][7] A key diagnostic character is that they have the fewest gill rakers of any western trout.[8]

Sheepheaven Creek redband trout
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O. mykiss ssp.?

Sheepheaven Creek is used as the type locality of O. m. calisulat Campbell and Conway 2023,[9] a taxon restricted in distribution the McCloud River drainage upstream of McCloud Falls. In this taxonomic scheme, Sheepheaven Creek is one of several genetically pure populations of a distinctive lineage of rainbow trout.

References

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  1. ^ California Department of Fish and Game; California Inland Fisheries Branch (1973). Inland fisheries administrative report. Vol. 74–75. California: State of California, The Resources Agency, Department of Fish and Game.
  2. ^ a b Robert J. Behnke (2002). Trout and Salmon of North America. New York: Chanticleer Press. ISBN 0-7432-2220-2.
  3. ^ J. R. Gold (1977). Systematics of western North American trout (Salmo). California.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  4. ^ Peter B. Moyle (1976). Inland Fishes of California. California: University of California Press.
  5. ^ Steven Ojai. "Fly Fishing the Sierra". Retrieved November 15, 2012.
  6. ^ Molly Rebecca Stephens (2007). Systematics, Genetics and Conservation of Golden Trout. California: University of California.
  7. ^ Jeff Weaver; Stephanie Mehalick. "Genetic Sampling of Oncorhynchus mykiss in the Upper McCloud River Drainage". California Department of Fish and Game. Retrieved November 16, 2012.
  8. ^ Robert J. Behnke (1992). American Fisheries Society Monograph - Native trout of western North America. Vol. 6. Bethesda, Maryland, United States: American Fisheries Society. ISBN 0-913235-78-4.
  9. ^ Campbell, Matthew A.; Habibi, Ensieh; Auringer, Grace; Stephens, Molly; Rodzen, Jeff; Conway, Kevin W.; Finger, Amanda J. (2023-03-09). "Molecular Systematics of Redband Trout from Genome-Wide DNA Sequencing Substantiates the Description of a New Taxon (Salmonidae: Oncorhynchus mykiss calisulat) from the McCloud River". Zootaxa. 5254 (1): 1–29. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.5254.1.1. ISSN 1175-5334. PMID 37044738. S2CID 257471603.