Coomsaharn char explained

The Coomsaharn char (Salvelinus fimbriatus; the spellings Coomasaharn and charr are also used;) is a species of lacustrine char fish in the family Salmonidae.^[1]

It is only located in Lough Coomsaharn, County Kerry, Ireland.^{[2] [3]}

Taxonomy

Name

The English word "char[r]" is thought to derive from Old Irish ceara/cera meaning "[blood] red,"^[4] referring to its pink-red underside.^{[5] [6]} This would also connect with its Welsh name torgoch, "red belly."^[7]

Lough Coomsaharn derives its name from the Irish Com Sathairn, "hollow of Saturday(?)".^[8]

Biology

Salvelinus fimbriatus spawns in November/December and feeds on zooplankton. It is distinguished from other Salvelinus in Ireland by large eyes,^[9] having 27–30 gill rakers, with 16–20 on the lower part (hence the species name fimbriatus, "fringed").^[10] Also, its body depth is 20–25% of snout length, the snout is conical, and the lower jaw is not included in the upper one; an adaptation that helps it to feed on plankton.^[11]

History

The Coomsaharn char are a remnant fish of the Last Ice Age.^[12]

Notes and References

1. Web site: The Irish Naturalists' Journal. J. A. Sidney. Stendall. Mary P. H.. Kertland. 27 February 1961. I.N.J. Committee.. Google Books.
2. Web site: Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy: Mathematical and physical sciences. Royal Irish. Academy. 27 February 2018. Google Books.
3. Book: Hendroff, Adrian. Killarney to Valentia Island – The Iveragh Peninsula: A Walking Guide. 30 March 2015. The Collins Press. Google Books. 9781848895522.
4. Web site: eDIL - Irish Language Dictionary. edil.qub.ac.uk.
5. Book: Skeat, Walter W.. An Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 15 February 2013. Courier Corporation. Google Books. 9780486317656.
6. Book: Various. Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D). Library of Alexandria. Google Books. 9781465562883.
7. Book: Weekley, Ernest. An Etymological Dictionary of Modern English. 5 March 2013. Courier Corporation. Google Books. 9780486122878.
8. Web site: Com Sathairn/Coomasaharn. Logainm.ie.
9. Web site: Fishlore: British Freshwater Fishes. Alexander Francis Magri. MacMahon. 27 February 2018. Penguin Books. Google Books.
10. 10.1111/j.1600-0633.2006.00163.x. The Coomasaharn char, a morphometrically highly specialised form of Salvelinus alpinus in Ireland. Ecology of Freshwater Fish. 16. 41–46. 2007. Cullen. P.. McCarthy. T. K.. Doherty. D.. free.
11. The Coomasaharn char, a morphometrically highly specialised form of Salvelinus alpinus in Ireland. P. Cullen. T. Mccarthy. D. Doherty. 1 March 2007. Ecology of Freshwater Fish. 16. 41–46. ResearchGate. 10.1111/j.1600-0633.2006.00163.x. free.
12. Web site: Ireland - Lake Coomasaharn.