Mongolian grayling explained

The Mongolian grayling (Thymallus brevirostris) is a freshwater species of fish of the genus Thymallus endemic to the landlocked rivers in Mongolia, Inner Mongolia Province of China and nearby parts of Russian far east. It is considered to be the largest grayling species in the world,[1] and hence viewed as an auspicious sign by local tribes.[2]

Description

Mongolian grayling grow to a recorded maximum length of 65 cm (26 inches).[3] The dorsal side is blackish, and the abdominal side is light. Black spots are uniformly present on both sides of the body. In adults, their upper jaw extends at least below the posterior edge of the eye.[4] The Mongolian grayling is considered by researchers to be a relic from the Tertiary period.[5]

Distribution

The Mongolian grayling is native to the landlocked lake region of Mongolia and the nearby Russian and Chinese areas, such as Khovd River, Issyk-Kul Lake and other rivers and lakes of the Altai Mountains, with Arctic graylings and their hybrids often found together.[6] It is mostly found in the Central Asian basin of western Mongolia and the border region with Kazakhstan, as well as the Tuva Republic in southern Siberia.[5]

Life cycle

The Mongolian grayling is omnivorous and lives predatorily at certain times of the year. During the summer months, it inhabits mountain rivers and lakes at all depths.[7] In autumn and winter, it forms large shoals in front of the estuaries in lakes before spawning. It can only reproduce in cold, oxygen-rich water below temperatures of 20°C.[8]

Notes and References

  1. Book: A . Dulmaa . FISH AND FISHERIES AT HIGHER ALTITUDES: ASIA - TECHNICAL PAPER NO. 385 . 1999 . Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations . Rome . 304 . 28 November 2023.
  2. Web site: A threat to the Mongolian grayling . wwf.panda.org . 28 November 2023 . es.
  3. Web site: Fishing world record 2015 . Fishing World Records . 28 November 2023.
  4. Slynko . Yu. V. . Mendsaykhan . B. . Kas’anov . A. N. . On Intraspecies Forms of the Mongolian grayling (Thymallus brevirostrisKessl.) from Hoton Nur Lake (Western Mongolia) . Journal of Ichthyology . January 2010 . 50 . 1 . 28–37 . 10.1134/S0032945210010042 . 28 November 2023.
  5. Froufe . E. . Knizhin . I. . Weiss . S. . Phylogenetic analysis of the genus Thymallus (grayling) based on mtDNA control region and ATPase 6 genes, with inferences on control region constraints and broad-scale Eurasian phylogeography . Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution . January 2005 . 34 . 1 . 106–117 . 10.1016/j.ympev.2004.09.009 . 28 November 2023.
  6. Semenchenko . A. A. . Atopkin . D. M. . A comparative analysis of the Far Eastern grayling species Thymallus tugarinae and Thymallus grubii flavomaculatus based on the data from mitochondrial DNA cytochrome b gene sequencing . Russian Journal of Marine Biology . December 2012 . 38 . 7 . 520–528 . 10.1134/S1063074012070024 . 28 November 2023.
  7. Book: Berg . Lev Semenovich . Freshwater Fishes of the U.S.S.R. and Adjacent Countries . 1962 . Israel Program for Scientific Translations . 28 November 2023 . en.
  8. Ma . Bo . Jiang . Haiying . Sun . Peng . Chen . Jinping . Li . Linmiao . Zhang . Xiujuan . Yuan . Lihong . Phylogeny and dating of divergences within the genus Thymallus (Salmonidae: Thymallinae) using complete mitochondrial genomes . Mitochondrial DNA Part A . 2 September 2016 . 27 . 5 . 3602–3611 . 10.3109/19401736.2015.1079824 . 28 November 2023.

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