Dolly Varden
Fish - Salvelinus malma
The Dolly Varden trout is a species of salmonid ray-finned fish native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. Despite the name "trout", it belongs to the genus Salvelinus (chars), which includes 51 recognized species, the most prominent being the brook, lake and bull trout as well as Arctic char. Although many populations are semi-anadromous, riverine and lacustrine populations occur throughout its range.
The back and sides are olive green or muddy gray, shading to white on the belly. The body has scattered pale yellow or pinkish-yellow spots. There are no black spots or wavy lines on the body or fins. Small red spots are present on the lower sides. These are frequently indistinct. The fins are plain and unmarked except for a few light spots on the base of the caudal fin rays. S. malma is extremely similar in appearance to the bull trout (S. confluentus) and Arctic char (S. alpinus), so much so that they are sometimes referred to as "native char" without a distinction.
Main Photo Credit: "Dolly varden (Salvelinus malma)" by Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, 2010. CC BY-SA 2.5. Description: Wikipedia
