''Salmo ezenami'' is a critically endangered freshwater

salmonid Salmonidae is a family of ray-finned fish that constitutes the only currently extant family in the order Salmoniformes . It includes salmon (both Atlantic and Pacific species), trout (both ocean-going and landlocked), chars, freshwater whitefis ...

fish, endemic to Lake Kezenoi-Am (Lake Eizenam) in

Northern Caucasus The North Caucasus, ( ady, Темыр Къафкъас, Temır Qafqas; kbd, Ишхъэрэ Къаукъаз, İṩxhərə Qauqaz; ce, Къилбаседа Кавказ, Q̇ilbaseda Kavkaz; , os, Цӕгат Кавказ, Cægat Kavkaz, inh, ...

. The only native occurrence, in Lake Kezenoi-Am in

Chechnya Chechnya ( rus, Чечня́, Chechnyá, p=tɕɪtɕˈnʲa; ce, Нохчийчоь, Noxçiyçö), officially the Chechen Republic,; ce, Нохчийн Республика, Noxçiyn Respublika is a republic of Russia. It is situated in the ...

at the border of

Dagestan Dagestan ( ; rus, Дагеста́н, , dəɡʲɪˈstan, links=yes), officially the Republic of Dagestan (russian: Респу́блика Дагеста́н, Respúblika Dagestán, links=no), is a republic of Russia situated in the North C ...

, is in a cold alpine lake (area 2.4 km², maximum depth 74 m, 1870 m altitude). In addition, the species has been introduced to another lake in Dagestan, Lake Mochokh, probably successfully.Freyhof, J. & Kottelat, M. 2008
''Salmo ezenami''.
In: IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2010.1. Downloaded on 5 April 2010. ''Salmo ezenami'' used to be the only fish species in Lake Kezenoi-Am. However, two other species, the

European chub ''Squalius cephalus'' is a European species of freshwater fish in the carp family Cyprinidae. It frequents both slow and moderate rivers, as well as canals and still waters of various kinds. This species is referred to as the common chub, Europe ...

and Caspian gudgeon have been introduced, and present a threat by eating the fry of ''Salmo''. ''Salmo ezenami'' spawns in the lake, close to underwater springs. Adult fish also probably migrate to

tributaries A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage b ...

. There are separate small-sized (adults 160–260 mm) and large-sized forms (380–1130 mm). Young prey on

gammarid Gammaridae is a family of amphipods. In North America they are included among the folk taxonomic category of " scuds", and otherwise gammarids is usually used as a common name. They have a wide distribution, centered on Eurasia, and are euryha ...

s and

chironomid The Chironomidae (informally known as chironomids, nonbiting midges, or lake flies) comprise a family of nematoceran flies with a global distribution. They are closely related to the Ceratopogonidae, Simuliidae, and Thaumaleidae. Many species ...

s; adults also eat molluscs and fishes, after the introduction of nonnative species.

References

ezenami Taxa named by Lev Berg Fish described in 1948 Endemic fauna of Russia {{Salmoniformes-stub