 the brook trout (salvelinus fontinalis), sometimes called the eastern brook trout, is a species of fish in the salmon family of order salmoniformes. it is native to eastern north america in the united states and canada. in many parts of its range, it is known as the speckled trout or squaretail. a potamodromous population in lake superior is known as coaster trout or, simply, as coasters. though commonly called a trout, the brook trout is actually a char (salvelinus) which in north america, includes the lake trout, bull trout, dolly varden, and the arctic char. the brook trout is the state fish of nine states: michigan, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, north carolina, pennsylvania, vermont, virginia, and west virginia. the specific epithet "fontinalis" comes from the latin for "of or from a spring or fountain". ==taxonomy== the scientific name of the brook trout is salvelinus fontinalis and was first described by naturalist samuel latham mitchill in 1814. the specific epithet "fontinalis" comes from the latin for "of or from a spring or fountain" in reference to the clear, cold streams and ponds in its native habitat. few if any, subspecies exist. the brook trout produces two intrageneric hybrids&mdash; the splake (s. fontinalis Ã s. namaycush) and the sparctic char (s. fontinalis Ã s. alpinus){{cite web |url=http://www.fishwithjd.com/2011/12/
Animals_described_in_1814 Fauna_of_the_United_States Fish_of_the_Great_Lakes Fish_of_the_Pacific_Ocean Fly_fishing_target_species Salvelinus Symbols_of_Michigan Symbols_of_Pennsylvania Symbols_of_Vermont Symbols_of_West_Virginia Vermont_cuisine