User:Ioantria/sandbox

= Salmo Viridis = The Green trout (Salmo Viridis) it's a new species of salmonid fish and it is endemic to Isli Lake in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco and it is the only fish species inhabiting this lake. The species name “viridis” refers to its diagnostic greenish coloration in some parts of body and fins.

Description
Salmo viridis differs from other known species of the genus Salmo from Morocco, except Salmo pallaryi, by the absence of spots or marks on the body. It has a lesser number of anal pterygophores, 10-11, than Salmo pallaryi, 12-14, and shorter orbital length. The horizontal orbital length with respect to the head length is 16-23% of head length in Salmo viridis vs. 25-31% of head length in Salmo pallaryi. Diagnostic characteristics to Salmo viridis: vomer teeth in one row, premaxilla extended laterally, supramaxilla short and deep, dorsal fin pterygophores from 11 to 13 and one molecular autapomorphy in the MT-CYTB gene in the nucleotide position 508.

S.viridis a large-sized species that reaches 500 mm of standard length. The caudal peduncle is more elongated, in comparison to other trout populations, and the proportion of body to least depth, with respect to caudal peduncle length, is 25.3-26% CPL in females and 23.5-27.1% CPL in males. In comparison to all trout populations the head is small, relative to the body, with head length 21.7-24.4% SL in females and 21.4-24.8% SL in males. The skull is narrow with a pointed snout. The preorbital distance is the largest, compared to the populations studied, and the proportion, with respect to head length, is 26-31% HL in females and 21.6-34% HL in males. The fourth and fifth infraorbitals are wide and extended over the hyomandibular bone.

The supramaxilla is short and deep. The length of the maxilla is variable in this species and usually reaches the edge of the posterior eye orbit. The length of the maxilla, in proportion and with respect to head length is 44.4-56.3% SL in females and 46.5-52.8% SL in males. The upper jaw is narrower than in other populations except that of Ifni Lake, which belongs to S. akairos. The maximum height of the upper jaw, in proportion to its length, is 28.4-33.1% UJL in females and 24.6-32.2% UJL in males. The eye orbit is small, in proportion to head length, the horizontal diameter being 17.5-19.4% HL in females and 15.6-22.8% HL in males and the vertical diameter being 16.4-19.8% HL in females and 13.8-20% HL in evils. The vomer teeth are placed in one row and are small and thin.

The coloration is uniformly grayish with some greenish iridizations, paler in the ventral region. The pectoral fins are slightly yellow and caudal, adipose and anal fins are greenish. No spot or marks are found, only some traces in caudal fin and dorsal skull.

Biology and Habitat
Isli Lake, situated on a high plateau, 2270 meters above sea level and it is a large and deep, ±2 km of diameter and 92 m deep, oligotrophic lake. The spawning of this species takes place at the end of October and November in the sandy beaches of the lake.

The habitat of this species is threatened due to eutrophication, related to intensive overpasture. Overfishing is also a problem due to the low protection of the lake. No juveniles have been observed in the last years and several malformations in fins and skull were observed therefore this species should be included in the IUCN category of endangered.