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The Rocky Mountain cutthroat trout (O. virginalis) are one of four species making up the cutthroat trout complex. The species is named after the Rocky Mountains.
They are native to waters of Rocky Mountains and portions of the Great Basin. They can be found in 8 western states: Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Nevada, and Arizona.
Subspecies
There are nine recognized subspecies of Rocky Mountain cutthroats:
Rio Grande cutthroat trout (O. v. virginalis), the type subspecies,
Bear River cutthroat trout (O. v. ssp.)
Bonneville cutthroat trout (O. v. utah)
Colorado River cutthroat trout (O. v. pleuriticus)
Green River cutthroat trout (O. v. ssp.)
Greenback cutthroat trout (O. v. stomias)
San Juan cutthroat trout (O. v. ssp.)
Yellowfin cutthroat trout (O. v. macdonaldi), extinct
Yellowstone cutthroat trout (O. v. bouvierii).
Distribution of Rocky Mountain Cutthroat subspecies (By N8vetrout, cropped, CC0).
Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout
The Rio Grande cutthroat trout is native to the Rio Grande river drainage, including the Pecos drainage, as well as the Canadian River drainage. Their native range spans much of New Mexico and southern Colorado.
The Rio Grande cutthroat trout is the state fish of New Mexico.
Rio Grande cutthroat trout. Photo by Chris Kitcheyan/USFWS.
Bear River Cutthroat Trout
The Bear River cutthroat trout is a newly recognized subspecies of cutthroat trout. Previously these cutthroat were regarded as a population of Bonneville cutthroat trout.
The Bear River cutthroat trout is native to the Bear River drainage. While most of the drainage is located in the state of Utah, the northwestern portion of the range extends into southeastern Idaho and the eastern portion extends into southwestern Wyoming.
Bear River cutthroat trout. Photo by Clint Wirick/USFWS.
Bonneville Cutthroat Trout
The Bonneville cutthroat trout is native to the Bonneville basin. While most of its range lies within the state of Utah, the western portion of the range extends into eastern Nevada and the northern portion extends into southern Idaho.
The Bonneville cutthroat trout is the state fish of Utah.
Bonneville cutthroat trout, Snake Range, Nevada.
Colorado River Cutthroat Trout
The Colorado River cutthroat trout is native to the Colorado River drainage in Colorado and Utah. It is sometimes referred to as the Grand River cutthroat trout. Historically, the Grand River referred to what is now known as the Upper Colorado River. The old name lives on in place names such as the Grand Junction and the Grand Valley.
The Green River cutthroat trout and San Juan cutthroat trout, both now recognized as separate subspecies, were long regarded as a distinct populations of Colorado River cutthroat trout.
A juvenile Colorado Cutthroat Trout. Photo by Craig D. Young.
Green River Cutthroat Trout
The Green River cutthroat trout is native to the Green River basin in Uhah, Wyoming, and Colorado.
Previously Green River cutthroat trout was regarded as a distinct population of Colorado River cutthroat trout. Available evidence supported its recent recognition as a separate subspecies.
Green River cutthroat trout. BLM Photo.
Greenback Cutthroat Trout
The greenback cutthroat trout is native to Arkansas and South Platte river drainages. The greenback's range is mostly within the state of Colorado but its northern portion does extend into the southeastern Wyoming. The greenback cutthroat trout is critically imperiled.
The greenback cutthroat trout is the state fish of Colorado.
Greenback cutthroat trout. Photo by Chris Kennedy/USFWS.
San Juan Cutthroat Trout
The San Juan cutthroat trout is native to the San Juan River drainage in New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, and Utah.
Previously San Juan cutthroat trout was regarded as a distinct population of Colorado River cutthroat trout. Available evidence supported its recent recognition as a separate subspecies.
The San Juan cutthroat was for a time considered extinct however a few extant populations were recently discovered in southeastern Colorado.
San Juan cutthroat trout. Colorado Parks and Wildlife Photo (CC BY 4.0).
Yellowfin Cutthroat Trout
The yellowfin cutthroat trout is native to the Twin Lakes basin in Colorado.
The subspecies is considered extinct due to hybridization with introduced rainbow trout.
Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout
The Yellow cutthroat trout is native to the Snake River drainage in Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana. The southern tip of the range extends into the northeastern corner of Nevada and the northwestern corner of Utah.
The Snake River fine-spotted cutthroat trout, previously recognized as a separate subspecies, is now regarded as an ecotype of the Yellowstone cutthroat trout.
Yellowstone cutthroat trout, Elko County, NV.
Challenges
A three subspecies (along with related subspecies) of Rocky Mountain cutthroat qualify for the Western Native Trout Challenge (WNTC).
Bonneville cutthroat trout caught in Utah, Nevada, Idaho, and Wyoming qualify. For the purposes of this challenge, the Bear River cutthroat trout are regarded as Bonneville cutthroat trout.
Colorado River cutthroat trout caught in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming. For the purposes of this challenge, the Green River cutthroat trout is regarded as Colorado River cutthroat trout.
Yellowstone cutthroat trout caught in Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Utah and Nevada qualify.
These three subspecies qualify for the Wyoming Cutt-Slam. The Snake River fine-spotted cutthroat trout also separately qualifies for the cutt-slam.
Four subspecies, the Bonneville, Colorado River, Yellowstone, and Bear River cutthroat trout count for the Utah Cutthroat Slam. For the purposes of this challenge, both Green River and San Juan subspecies are regarded as Colorado RIver cutthroat trout.
Two subspecies, the Bonneville and the Yellowstone cutthroat trout, qualify for the Nevada Native Fish-Slam.
One subspecies, the Rio Grande cutthroat trout, qualify for the New Mexico Trout Challenge.
See challenge rules and state regulations for restrictions.
This article was authored by Kurt Zeilenga. Suggestions on how to improve this article may be sent to info@ztrout.org.
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