rainbow trout
Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum, 1792)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) is a species of trout native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in North America and Asia. The steelhead (sometimes called steelhead trout) is an anadromous (sea-run) form of the coastal rainbow trout (O. m. irideus) or Columbia River redband trout (O. m. gairdneri) that usually returns to freshwater to spawn after living two to three years in the ocean. Adult freshwater stream rainbow trout average between 0.5 and 2.5 kilograms (1 and 5 lb), while lake-dwelling and anadromous forms may reach 9 kg (20 lb). Coloration varies widely based on subspecies, forms, and habitat. Adult fish are distinguished by a broad reddish stripe along the lateral line, from gills to the tail, which is most vivid in breeding males. Wild-caught and hatchery-reared forms of the species have been transplanted and introduced for food or sport in at least 45 countries and every continent except Antarctica. Introductions to locations outside their native range in the United States, Southern Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and South America have damaged native fish species.
Wikipedia contributors, Rainbow trout; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T03:33:43.914047+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum, 1792)
- Name authority
- (Walbaum, 1792)
- Common name
- rainbow trout
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Salmoniformes
- Family
- Salmonidae
- Genus
- Oncorhynchus
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: yes · Freshwater: yes · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderSalmoniformes
- familySalmonidae Cuvier, 1816
- subfamilySalmoninae Cuvier, 1816
- genusOncorhynchus Suckley, 1861
- speciesOncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum, 1792)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Oncorhynchus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Keta salmonOncorhynchus keta (Walbaum, 1792) | SalmonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Coho salmonOncorhynchus kisutch (Walbaum, 1792) | SalmonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Cherry salmonOncorhynchus masou (Brevoort, 1856) | SalmonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Oncorhynchus rhodurus Jordan & McGregor, 1925 | SalmonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Chinook salmonOncorhynchus tshawytscha (Walbaum, 1792) | SalmonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Mexican Golden TroutOncorhynchus chrysogaster (Needham & Gard, 1964) | SalmonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| cutthroat troutOncorhynchus clarkii (Richardson, 1836) | SalmonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Oncorhynchus gilae (Miller, 1950) | SalmonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Oncorhynchus aguabonita (Jordan, 1892) | SalmonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| humpback salmonOncorhynchus gorbuscha (Walbaum, 1792) | SalmonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Oncorhynchus apache (Miller, 1972) | SalmonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Oncorhynchus iwame Kimura & Nakamura, 1961 | SalmonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=127185 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:49JFF. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.