King-of-the-salmon
Trachipterus altivelis
- Least concern
- Card rarity: Common
- Fish
King-of-the-salmon is a species of ribbonfish in the family Trachipteridae. Its common name comes from the legends of the Makah people west of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, which hold that this fish leads the salmon annually to their spawning grounds. Catching or eating king-of-the-salmon was forbidden, as it was feared killing one would stop the salmon run. This myth is reflected by a former specific epithet used for this fish, rex-salmonorum, rex being Latin for "king". The king-of-the-salmon is found in the eastern Pacific Ocean from Alaska to Chile. It is usually found in the open ocean to a depth of 900 meters, though adults sometimes feed on the sea bottom.
Classification
- Class
- Actinopterygii
- Order
- Lampriformes
- Family
- Trachipteridae
- Genus
- Trachipterus