Common whitefish

Coregonus lavaretus (Linnaeus 1758)

Whitefish Coregonus lavaretus (Linnaeus, 1758) The whitefish is one of the most phenotypically variable freshwater fishes, in Norway and globally. This has led to large controversy regarding number and naming of species (Kottelat and Freyhof 2007). For example, in Sweden different authors have suggested the presence of many different species (see summary by Svärdson 1998). Gunnar Svärdson published during several decades numerous papers in a series he called “the coregonid problem”. And clearly the taxonomy and systematics is still a mess. Today, the SLU Swedish Species Information Center recognizes one species of whitefish, Coregonus maraena (Bloch, 1779), with four taxa that are classified as morphotypes. In Norway, the Norwegian Biodiversity Information Centre recognized only one species, C. lavaretus . Also, in Finland the whitefish is classified as C. lavaretus by the Finnish Biodiversity Info Facility. Clearly, this is a situation that should be sorted out – as the whitefish clearly has a continuous distribution in Scandinavia. One reason for the taxonomic confusion is the large phenotypic variability and also flexibility in use of spawning and feeding habitat. In Norway

A paradoxical bias in knowledge about Norwegian freshwater fishes: research efforts during 1980 - 2020

description

Common name. European whitefish Taxonomy. Original description: Salmo lavaretus Linnaeus, 1758: 310 [Lake Bourget, France; Neotype: MHNG 2583.51]. Revisions: None. Illustrations: None. Distribution in Iran: — Distribution in River Basin: Namak Lake. — Distribution in Ecoregions: 447 - Namak. Status in Iran. [Exotic]. — Sefid mahi-e orupaee. — Listed in previous checklists from Iran by Esmaeili et al. (2017 a, 2018); Jouladeh-Roudbar et al. (2020) and Eagderi et al. (2022). — Iran material: None. Conservation. Not relevant (introduced species).

Freshwater lamprey and fishes of Iran: Reappraisal and updated checklist with a note on Eagderi et al. (2022)