Skwala wrote:

Did reclassifiing Salmo Gairdneri to Oncorhynchus mykiss reveal any new
truth about the rainbow?


Skwala


The reclassification occurred because new truths were revealed about the
Rainbow. It was placed in the genus Oncorhynchus because it was found to
be more closely related to Pacific Salmon than brown trout or Atlantic
salmon.

Classification systems are designed to reflect similarities among
species. A "good" classification system will reflect evolutionary
relationships among species. As new information comes to light,
especially now with molecular taxonomic tools, classifications based on
superficial resemblances become replaced with systems based on genetic
similarity. That is waht happened with rainbows.

Tim Lysyk