cutthroat trout
Oncorhynchus clarkii (Richardson, 1836)
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.
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Open encyclopedia reference
The cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii clade) is a clade of four fish species of the family Salmonidae native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific Ocean, Rocky Mountains, and Great Basin in North America. These four species are the Coastal (O. clarkii), Westslope (O. lewisi), Lahontan (O. henshawi), and the Rocky Mountain (O. virginalis). As a member of the genus Oncorhynchus, it is in the Pacific trout group, which includes the widely distributed rainbow trout. Cutthroat trout are popular gamefish, especially among anglers who enjoy fly fishing. The common name "cutthroat" refers to the distinctive red coloration on the underside of the lower jaw. The specific name clarkii was given to honor explorer William Clark, coleader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Cutthroat trout usually inhabit and spawn in small to moderately large, clear, well-oxygenated, shallow rivers with gravel bottoms. They reproduce in clear, cold, moderately deep lakes. They are native to the alluvial or freestone streams that are typical tributaries of the rivers of the Pacific Basin, Great Basin and Rocky Mountains.
Wikipedia contributors, Cutthroat trout; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T04:59:09.540325+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Oncorhynchus clarkii (Richardson, 1836)
- Name authority
- (Richardson, 1836)
- Common name
- cutthroat 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 clarkii (Richardson, 1836)
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 |
| rainbow troutOncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum, 1792) | 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 |
| 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=274347 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.
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:6SN65. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.