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, and hence viewed as an auspicious sign by local tribes.
Description
Mongolian grayling grow to a recorded maximum length of 65 cm (26 inches). 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. The Mongolian grayling is considered by researchers to be a relic from the
Tertiary period.
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
Issyk-Kul (also Ysyk-Köl, ky, Ысык-Көл, lit=warm lake, translit=Ysyk-Köl, , zh, 伊塞克湖) is an endorheic lake (i.e., without outflow) in the Northern Tian Shan mountains in Eastern Kyrgyzstan. It is the seventh-deepest lake in th ...
and other rivers and lakes of the
Altai Mountains
The Altai Mountains (), also spelled Altay Mountains, are a mountain range in Central Asia, Central and East Asia, where Russia, China, Mongolia and Kazakhstan converge, and where the rivers Irtysh and Ob River, Ob have their headwaters. The m ...
, with
Arctic graylings and their hybrids often found together. 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.
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. In autumn and winter, it forms large
shoals
In oceanography, geomorphology, and geoscience, a shoal is a natural submerged ridge, bank, or bar that consists of, or is covered by, sand or other unconsolidated material and rises from the bed of a body of water to near the surface. It o ...
in front of the estuaries in lakes before spawning. It can only reproduce in cold, oxygen-rich water below temperatures of 20°C.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q148847
Thymallus
Freshwater fish of Asia