The Sheepheaven Creek redband trout is a local Californian variety of the
rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), a freshwater fish in the family
Salmonidae. It is considered either a distinct western form of the
McCloud River redband trout (subspecies Oncorhynchus mykiss stonei),[1] or a subspecies of its own, which has not been scientifically named and described yet.[2] It is native to Sheepheaven Creek,
Siskiyou County,
California,
United States.[3][4] It has been transplanted into Swamp Creek in 1972 and 1974 and into Trout Creek in 1977. They can now be found in both locations.[5] Sheepheaven Creek redband are found to be the most distinct anatomically among all other western North American trout[specify] groups, and therefore has been suggested to merit recognition as a new subspecies.[2][6][7] A key diagnostic character is that they have the fewest
gill rakers of any western trout.[8]
Sheepheaven Creek is used as the type locality of O. m. calisulat Campbell and Conway 2023,[9] a taxon restricted in distribution the McCloud River drainage upstream of McCloud Falls. In this taxonomic scheme, Sheepheaven Creek is one of several genetically pure populations of a distinctive lineage of rainbow trout.
References
^California Department of Fish and Game; California Inland Fisheries Branch (1973). Inland fisheries administrative report. Vol. 74–75. California: State of California, The Resources Agency, Department of Fish and Game.
^
abRobert J. Behnke (2002). Trout and Salmon of North America. New York: Chanticleer Press.
ISBN0-7432-2220-2.
^J. R. Gold (1977). Systematics of western North American trout (Salmo). California.{{
cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link)