Identification Comments: | |
Subspecies Comments: | |
Food Habits: | The LCT is an opportunistic feeder (Behnke 1992). Small individuals eat small invertebrates such as crustaceans and aquatic insects. Larger fishes eat large invertebrates and small fishes. Fishes dominate the diet of large, lake-dwelling adults. |
Phenology Comments: | |
Reproduction Comments: | Life history characteristics are greatly influenced by the environment. Spawns in spring or early summer, the timing depending on stream flow and temperature. Spawning migrations have been observed at water temperatures of 5-16 C. Eggs hatch in 4-6 weeks (Spahr et al. 1991), and fry emerge 13 to 23 days later. Sexually mature in 2-3 years in streams, 3-5 years in lakes; males generally mature a year sooner than do females. Consecutive-year spawning by individuals is uncommon. |
Migration Mobility: | |
Habitat Comments: | The LCT inhabits lakes and streams and requires cool, well-oxygenated water. It is adapted to highly mineralized waters. In streams, the LCT uses rocky areas, riffles, deep pools, and areas under logs and overhanging banks. Optimally, cover should be available in at least 25% of the stream area. The LCT spawn in streams, generally in riffle areas over gravel substrate. Spawning and nursery habitat is characterized by cool water, approximate 1:1 pool-riffle ratio, well-vegetated and stable stream banks, and relatively silt-free rocky substrate in riffle-run areas (USFWS 1994f). |
Ecology comments: | Fry may move out of spawning tributaries shortly after emergence (Summit Lake population) or may remain in nursery streams for 1-2 years (USFWS 1994f). |
Version Date: | 05/19/2018 - 12:00am |