| Chestnut lamprey | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Young chestnut lamprey found in Missouri | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Infraphylum: | Agnatha |
| Class: | Hyperoartia |
| Order: | Petromyzontiformes |
| Family: | Petromyzontidae |
| Genus: | Ichthyomyzon |
| Species: | I. castaneus |
| Binomial name | |
| Ichthyomyzon castaneus Girard, 1858 | |
| Synonyms [1] [2] | |
| |
The chestnut lamprey (Ichthyomyzon castaneus) is a species of lamprey.
The chestnut lamprey has a maximum length of around 345 millimetres (13.6 in), 325 millimetres (12.8 in) in Canada, with dark grey to olive skin color, blue-black after spawning, and with five to eight bicuspid laterals around its mouth. [3] The chestnut lamprey is closely related to the nonparasitic southern brook lamprey, [4] and the two have been termed a paired species.
The range of the chestnut lamprey extends from Lake Winnipeg and the Hudson Bay down the Mississippi River to the Central and Eastern United States; this includes any large lakes or reservoirs where large host fish are present. [5] In Canada, the chestnut lamprey has been found in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec. [6]
Adults are parasitic and feed on larger species of fish to support their body. It was widely presumed that this fish did not feed during the winter, but recent research in Wisconsin has revealed some lampreys remain attached to their host during the winter months; one fisherman caught a sturgeon with a chestnut lamprey still attached. [7] Observation of this species has revealed that they are primarily a nocturnal animal and they seek out shade during daylight. [3] These lampreys may be beneficial to the rivers and lakes, due to their natural control of local fish populations. [3] Human populations can pose threats to these animals through pollution, siltation, and dredging. Larval lamprey must filter feed for numerous years and are vulnerable to changes in their environment during this time. For instance, larval lampreys will starve if large particulate matter regularly block their mouths. [3]
During the egg stage of the lamprey's life, it is vulnerable to predators that prefer to eat fish eggs. [3] Predation by other fish helps keep the lamprey numbers under control. When the lamprey has hatched from its egg into the larvae stage, it is limited to pools or backwater areas with a sand or sandy mud bottom. [5] The young lampreys filter feed for food for around five to seven years until they are large enough to attach themselves to a host species. [3] Spawning of this species of lamprey occurs from June to July when the animals are around seven to nine years old and migrate to tributaries to protect the young from predators, though most spawning activity has been observed in mid-June. [3] During the mating process, one female would begin moving rocks from a suitable area for eggs; afterward she attaches herself to a rock while hopeful males attach to her and stroke her tail attempting to mate. [8] The eggs are then covered with a rock, presumably to shade the young lampreys at birth and to keep any predators from devouring the young. [8] As with most lampreys, the chestnut lamprey only mates once during its entire life and dies shortly after. [3]
The sea lamprey is a parasitic lamprey native to the Northern Hemisphere. It is sometimes referred to as the "vampire fish".
The brook lamprey is a small European lamprey species that exclusively inhabits freshwater environments. The species is related to, but distinct from, the North American western brook lamprey.
The Arctic lamprey, also known as the Japanese river lamprey or Japanese lampern, is a species of lamprey, a jawless fish in the order Petromyzontiformes. It inhabits coastal freshwater habitat types in the Arctic. Some populations are anadromous, spending part of their lives in the ocean. It is the most common and widespread lamprey in the Arctic region.
The Pacific lamprey is an anadromous parasitic lamprey from the Pacific Coast of North America and Asia. It is a member of the Petromyzontidae family. The Pacific lamprey is also known as the three-tooth lamprey and tridentate lamprey.
The European river lamprey, also known as the river lamprey or lampern, is a species of freshwater lamprey.
The Western brook lamprey is a small (<18 cm), widely distributed, non-parasitic species of jawless fish endemic to the freshwater coastal waterways of the Western United States and Canada. Its range extends from the North American Pacific coast from Taku River, southern Alaska, Queen Charlotte Islands, to central California, including Vancouver Island, with major inland distributions in the Columbia and Sacramento-San Joaquin watersheds.
The Florida gar is a species of gar found in the US from the Savannah River and Ochlockonee River watersheds of Georgia and throughout peninsular Florida. Florida gar can reach a length over 3 ft (91 cm). The young feed on zooplankton and insect larvae, as well as small fish. Adults mainly eat fish, shrimp, and crayfish. Although edible, they are not popular as food. The roe is highly toxic to many animals, including humans and birds.
Lethenteron appendix, the American brook lamprey, is a common non-parasitic lamprey in North America. In adults their disc-like mouths contain poorly developed teeth, useless for attaching to a host.
The silver lamprey is a lamprey commonly found in the Northern and Central United States, as well as a large part of southern Canada. Its binomial name means "sucking fish" in Greek and "one-pointed" in Latin. The silver lamprey is a member of the Class Agnatha, sometimes referred to as cyclostomes (round-mouths). Other common names include: Bloodsucker, Blue Lamprey, Hitch-hiker, Lamper, Lamprey Eel. The silver lamprey should not to be confused with the sea lamprey, which has caused considerable damage to native fish populations in the Great Lakes region.
The mountain brook lamprey or Allegheny brook lamprey is a lamprey found in parts of the Mississippi river basin, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and in the Cumberland River and Tennessee River. This fish is jawless with a small sucker mouth and a long, eel-like body. It is fairly small, only growing to about 8 inches (20 cm) in length.
The southern brook lamprey is a lamprey found in the Southern United States including Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia. It is a jawless fish with a sucking mouth on one end of it. It can appear to be a small eel, since it is rarely longer than one foot in length.
The northern brook lamprey is a freshwater fish in the family Petromyzontidae. It is closely related to the silver lamprey and may represent an ecotype of a single species with I. unicuspis.
Eudontomyzon danfordi, the Carpathian brook lamprey or Danube lamprey, is a species of lamprey in the family Petromyzontidae. It is found in Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Moldova, Romania, Serbia, Montenegro, Slovakia, and Ukraine. Unlike other brook lampreys, this fish is parasitic.
The lake lamprey, Entosphenus macrostomus, also known as the Vancouver lamprey or Cowichan lamprey, a recent derivative of the Pacific lamprey, is a species of freshwater lamprey endemic to two North American lakes: Lake Cowichan and Mesachie Lake in Vancouver Island, Canada. The lamprey was originally called the Vancouver Island lamprey, until an error in filing shortened it to the Vancouver lamprey. The alternate common name of "Cowichan lamprey" was coined and promoted by the species' describer, Dr. Dick Beamish, who originally identified the species in the 1980s.
Spawn is the eggs and sperm released or deposited into water by aquatic animals. As a verb, to spawn refers to the process of releasing the eggs and sperm, and the act of both sexes is called spawning. Most aquatic animals, except for aquatic mammals and reptiles, reproduce through the process of spawning.
Lampreys are an ancient extant lineage of jawless fish of the order Petromyzontiformes, placed in the superclass Cyclostomata. The adult lamprey may be characterized by a toothed, funnel-like sucking mouth. The common name "lamprey" is probably derived from Latin lampetra, which may mean "stone licker", though the etymology is uncertain. Lamprey is sometimes seen for the plural form.
The Caspian lamprey, Caspiomyzon wagneri, is a species of lamprey native to the Caspian Sea, and a member of the Petromyzontidae family. This species is a non-parasitic lamprey that feeds on animal carcasses.
The least brook lamprey is a common, non-parasitic lamprey distributed in the Mississippi River watershed, and a limited range along the Atlantic coast.
The Ohio lamprey is a lamprey found in the Ohio River drainage basin in the United States and is a parasitic species of lampreys. They are considered to be an endangered/rare species in some states, due to siltation, pollution, and construction of dams.
Lampetra ayresii is a species of lamprey in the family Petromyzontidae. It is also called the river lamprey or western river lamprey. It is found in the eastern Pacific, specifically from Tee Harbor, Juneau in Alaska to the Sacramento–San Joaquin drainage in California, USA. It can survive in both marine surface waters and freshwater lakes, rivers, and creeks. In freshwater, it is found typically in the lower portions of large river systems. It is a predatory fish and feeds on fishes in the size range of 10–30 cm. It feeds by attaching to prey using its round, sucker-like mouth. Adult western river lampreys typically grow to about 21 cm (8.3 in) total length (TL), but can reach 31 cm (12 in) TL.