In some published literature, this species is treated as a subpopulation of the Bourget Whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus) or a member of the "Coregonus lavaretus species complex", and referred to by the English vernacular names "Common Whitefish" or "European Whitefish" (see below).

The systematics of European ciscoes and whitefishes (Coregonus spp.) has been the subject of considerable debate since the turn of the 21^st century, with little indication of a definitive outcome.

It is widely accepted that non-anadromous members of this group have repeatedly undergone adaptive radiations in boreal, subarctic and perialpine lakes (Douglas et al. 1999, Østbye et al. 2005, Kahilainen and Østbye 2006, Harrod et al. 2010, Hudson et al. 2011).

Subpopulations inhabiting these systems largely diversified in the wake of the most recent glacial period 10,000-15,000 years ago. They are typified by parallel patterns of divergence in traits associated with foraging (i.e., gill raker counts, benthic vs. pelagic feeding ecology), physiology (i.e., growth rate, habitat depth partitioning) and reproductive ecology (i.e., reproductive timing and spawning habitat).

Up to six different sympatric forms sometimes referred to as “morphs”, "ecomorphs" or "ecotypes" have been recorded in perialpine lakes, and these radiations might be even more diverse in some large systems of northeastern Europe (Præbel et al. 2013, Doenz et al. 2018, Bitz‐Thorsen et al. 2020, Öhlund et al. 2020).

However, there exist significant differences in opinion regarding the taxonomic status of these forms.

In Northern Europe, including the United Kingdom, all except a handful of Irish subpopulations are usually regarded as belonging to two widely-distributed species; Coregonus albula (ciscoes) and C. lavaretus (whitefishes), with the latter also frequently referred to as the "Coregonus lavaretus species complex” (Etheridge et al. 2012, Wanke et al. 2017, Häkli et al. 2018, Crotti et al. 2020). Within this comparatively uniform taxonomic concept, the catch-all English vernacular name “Vendace” is typically used for C. albula while "Common Whitefish" or "European Whitefish" are applied to C. lavaretus.

Conversely, researchers and fisheries authorities based in Central Europe have tended to treat the different forms as distinct taxa, leading to the recognition of more than 60 species across the European region (Kottelat and Freyhof 2007, Selz et al. 2020, De-Kayne et al. 2022, Selz and Seehausen 2023). Under this diverse taxonomic concept, the name “Vendace” is restricted to its original usage for the United Kingdom endemic Coregonus vandesius and the native range of C. lavaretus is limited to its type locality of Lake Bourget in France.

In the absence of a region-wide consensus, the Red List continues to follow the taxonomy provided by Fricke et al. (2024).

Global and European regional assessment: Extinct (EX)
EU 27 regional assessment: Not Recorded

The Morat Whitefish was endemic to Lake Morat, Switzerland. The species has not been observed in the wild since the late 19^th century and no ex situ populations exist. Therefore this species is assessed as Extinct.

This species was endemic to Lake Morat (fr. Lac de Morat; de. Murtensee) in the upper Rhine River system, Switzerland.

This species was last observed with certainty in 1890, and no individuals have been reported during surveys carried out since the mid-20^th century.

Lake Morat is a naturally mesotrophic perialpine lake formed after the last glacial period. It has a maximum depth of 45 metres.

This species inhabited the profundal zone of the lake. The annual reproductive period took place in January, when spawning occurred at depths of 35-40 metres.

The whitefish subpopulation currently inhabiting Lake Morat is derived from artificial translocations of non-native taxa.

The development of anoxic conditions in the hypolimnion driven by the eutrophication of Lake Morat during the early-to-mid 20^th century is understood to have driven this species to extinction. The natural reproduction of the native whitefish stock was reportedly inhibited during this period since their eggs could no longer develop in the oxygen-depleted substrata, and there is likely to have been a concurrent decline in the availability of zoobenthic food resources.

This species is not believed to have been used or traded.