Physical Characteristics

The back and sides are olive green or muddy gray, shading to white on the belly. The body has scattered pale yellow or pinkish-yellow spots. There are no black spots or wavy lines on the body or fins. Small red spots are present on the lower sides. These are frequently indistinct. The fins are plain and unmarked except for a few light spots on the base of the caudal fin rays.

Habitat and Range

The subspecies S. m. malma is found in coastal waters of the North Pacific from Puget Sound to the Alaska Peninsula and into the eastern Aleutians, along the Bering Sea and the Arctic Sea to the Mackenzie River. It is known as 'Belyi golets' in Russian.