| SOURCE FOR OCCURRENCE IN ECUADOR: Barriga (2012), Jimenez et al. (2015) |
| ORIGINAL DESCRIPTION: Walbaum, J.J. 1792. Petri Artedi sueci genera piscium. In quibus systema totum ichthyologiae proponitur cum classibus, ordinibus, generum characteribus, specierum differentiis, observationibus plurimis. Redactis speciebus 242 ad genera 52. Ichthyologiae pars III. Ant. Ferdin. Rose, Grypeswaldiae [Greifswald]. Part 3: [i-viii] + 1-723, Pls. 1-3. |
| TYPE SPECIMENS: |
| TAXONOMIC STATUS: Valid (Eschmeyer and Fricke, 2016). |
| RANGE ECUADOR: This is an introduced species that occurs in coldwater streams at high elevations in the Andes mountains. They appear to be particularly common in southern portions of the Ecuadorian Andes (Jimenez et al., 2015). |
| RANGE OUTSIDE OF ECUADOR: Native to the Pacific coast of North America, this species has been introduced to coldwater streams throughout the world (Jimenez et al., 2015). |
| COLLECTIONS IN ECUADOR: Jimenez et al. (2015) report collections in the Paute, Jubones, Canar, Alambi, Verdecocha, Carihuaco, and Salinas rivers. |
| MAXIMUM SIZE: Recorded up to at least 75 cm TL in Ecuador (Jimenez et al., 2015). Reported to larger sizes in other countries. |
| DISTINGUISHING FEATURES: Very easily identified by its coloration and overall morphology since there are no native salmonids in Ecuador. |
| ECOLOGY: Known as rainbow trout or "trucha", this is a species that was intentionally introduced as a food and sport fish into coldwater streams high in the Andes mountains. Rainbow trout are voracious predators feeding on invertebrates and small fishes where they occur. Unfortunately, they can have significant impacts on native species. In Ecuador, there are significant concerns about their impact on native astroblepids, some of which have limited geographical distributions and are also constrained to the coldwater streams preferred by rainbow trout. |
| ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE: This species is of significant economic importance as a food and sport fish. It was introduced into Ecuador probably in 1928 for its commercial potential (Jimenez et al., 1928) and is fairly widely distributed in cold water streams high in the Andes. It is particularly important around the city of Cuenca. |
| CONSERVATION STATUS: This is an introduced species in Ecuador so it is not of conservation concern from a biodiversity perspective. |
| LINK TO FISHBASE PAGE: Click here for link |
| SPECIES PROFILE CREATED BY: Windsor Aguirre |
| SPECIES PROFILE CONTRIBUTORS: NA |
