The Coomsaharn char (''Salvelinus fimbriatus''; the spellings ''Coomasaharn'' and ''charr'' are also used; ) is a species of lacustrine

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fish in the family Salmonidae. It is only located in Lough Coomsaharn,

County Kerry County Kerry ( gle, Contae Chiarraí) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and forms part of the province of Munster. It is named after the Ciarraige who lived in part of the present county. The population of the co ...

, Ireland.

Taxonomy

Name

The English word "char is thought to derive from Old Irish ''ceara''/''cera'' meaning "

lood Lodewyk de Jager (born 17 December 1992) is a South African professional rugby union player for the South Africa national team and in the English Premiership. He usually plays as a lock. Career De Jager played at youth level for the and als ...

red," referring to its pink-red underside. This would also connect with its

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name ''torgoch'', "red belly." Lough Coomsaharn () derives its name from the Irish ''Com Sathairn'', "hollow of Saturday(?)".

Biology

''Salvelinus fimbriatus'' spawns in November/December and feeds on zooplankton. It is distinguished from other '' Salvelinus'' in Ireland by large eyes, having 27–30 gill rakers, with 16–20 on the lower part (hence the species name ''fimbriatus'', "fringed"). Also, its body depth is 20–25% of snout length, the snout is conical, and the lower jaw is not included in the upper one; an adaptation that helps it to feed on plankton.

History

The Coomsaharn char are a remnant fish of the Last Ice Age.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5522221 fimbriatus Endemic freshwater fish of Ireland

Salvelinus fimbriatus The Coomsaharn char (''Salvelinus fimbriatus''; the spellings ''Coomasaharn'' and ''charr'' are also used; ) is a species of lacustrine Salvelinus, char fish in the family Salmonidae. It is only located in Lough Coomsaharn, County Kerry, Republi ...