The brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis (sometimes called the eastern brook trout), is a species of fish in the salmon family of order Salmoniformes. In many parts of its range, it is known as the speckled trout or squaretail. A potamodromous population in Lake Superior is known as coaster trout or, simply, as coasters. Though commonly called a trout, the brook trout is actually a char, along with lake trout, bull trout, Dolly Varden and the Arctic char. The brook trout is the state fish for eight states: Michigan, New Hampshire,New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia Colouration of this species is green to brown in basic colouration, with a distinctive marbled pattern (called vermiculations) of lighter shades across the flanks and back and extending at least to the dorsal fin, and often to the tail. A distinctive sprinkling of red dots, surrounded by blue haloes, occur along the flanks. The belly and lower fins are reddish in color, the latter with white leading edges. Often, the belly, particularly of the males, becomes very red or orange when the fish are spawning. The species reaches a maximum recorded length of 86 cm (33 in) and a maximum recorded weight of 6.6 kg (14.5 lb). It can reach at least seven years of age, with reports of 15 year old specimens observed in California habitats to which the species has been introduced. Typical lengths vary from 25 to 65 cm (10 to 26 in), and weights vary from 0.3 to 3.0 kg (0.7 to 7.0 lb).
Brook Trout
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