| Coregonus | |
|---|---|
| |
| Lake whitefish, Coregonus clupeaformis | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Salmoniformes |
| Family: | Salmonidae |
| Subfamily: | Coregoninae |
| Genus: | Coregonus Linnaeus, 1758 |
| Type species | |
| Coregonus lavaretus | |
| Species | |
|
Nearly 70 extant members | |
Coregonus is a diverse genus of fish in the salmon family (Salmonidae). The Coregonus species are known as whitefishes. The genus contains at least 68 described extant taxa, but the true number of species is a matter of debate. The type species of the genus is Coregonus lavaretus.
Most Coregonus species inhabit lakes and rivers, and several species, including the Arctic cisco (C. autumnalis), the Bering cisco (C. laurettae), and the least cisco (C. sardinella) are anadromous, moving between salt water and fresh water.
Many whitefish species or ecotypes, especially from the Great Lakes and the Alpine lakes of Europe, have gone extinct over the past century or are endangered. Among 12 freshwater fish considered extinct in Europe, 6 are Coregonus.[1] All Coregonus species are protected under appendix III of the Bern Convention,[2] and Annex IV of the EC Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC)[3]
- ^ Closs GP, Krkosek M, Olden JD, eds. (2016). Conservation of Freshwater Fishes. Cambridge University Press. p. 8. ISBN 978-1-107-04011-3.
- ^ Council of Europe, 1979. Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Heritage. Bern, Switzerland. Available at: http://conventions.coe.int/Treaty/EN/Treaties/Html/104.htm
- ^ "Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992". Eur-lex.europa.eu. Retrieved 2010-03-15.