Blunt-snouted charr
Salvelinus obtusus
Salvelinus obtusus, commonly called the blunt-nosed Irish charr or blunt-snouted Irish char, is a species of lacustrine char fish in the family Salmonidae, found in the Lakes of Killarney, Ireland.
2
Countries
Photo: iNaturalist: (c) Christa Rohrbach, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA)
Taxonomy & Classification
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Order
Salmoniformes
Family
Salmonidae
Genus
Salvelinus
Blunt-snouted charr belongs to the family Salmonidae, order Salmoniformes, within the unknown class.
Species Profile
Salvelinus obtusus, commonly called the blunt-nosed Irish charr or blunt-snouted Irish char, is a species of lacustrine char fish in the family Salmonidae, found in the Lakes of Killarney, Ireland.
The Blunt-snouted charr is critically endangered due to its extremely limited range in a single lake system in Russia, making it highly vulnerable to environmental changes. The species faces severe threats from habitat degradation, water pollution, and potential climate change impacts on its cold-water lake environment.
Key Facts
Habitat & Distribution
Salvelinus obtusus is only found in Muckross Lake and Lough Leane, and is threatened by eutrophication. It was formerly found in Lough Tay, Lough Dan, Lough Nalughraman and Lough Acoose, but is now considered extirpated at those sites and is critically endangered.
Threats
IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered
The Blunt-snouted charr is critically endangered due to its extremely limited range in a single lake system in Russia, making it highly vulnerable to environmental changes. The species faces severe threats from habitat degradation, water pollution, and potential climate change impacts on its cold-water lake environment.
Climate change affecting cold-water habitat
Extremely limited range and small population size
Water pollution and habitat degradation
Human disturbance and development pressures
Potential introduction of invasive species
Found in 2 Countries
National vs Global Threat Status
How this species is assessed at the national level compared to its IUCN global status (CR).
| Country | National Status | Global Status | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| EU | CRCritically Endangered | CRCritically Endangered | Same |
| EU | CRCritically Endangered | CRCritically Endangered | Same |
National Red List data sourced from the National Red List Project (nationalredlist.org, ZSL) and country-specific Red List authorities.
Community Sightings
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Sources & Attribution
How to Cite
IUCN: IUCN (2025). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2025-1. Available at: https://www.iucnredlist.org. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2025-1.RLTS
GBIF: GBIF.org (2025). GBIF Home Page. Available at: https://www.gbif.org
National Red Lists: ZSL (2025). National Red List. Zoological Society of London. Available at: https://www.nationalredlist.org
This page: SpeciesRadar (2025). Blunt-snouted charr (Salvelinus obtusus). SpeciesRadar: Intelligence for Earth's Biodiversity. Available at: https://speciesradar.org/species/blunt-snouted-charr