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Brook lamprey

Species of jawless fish

Petromyzon planeri Bloch 1784
Petromyzon septoeuil Lacepède 1802
Petromyzon niger Lacepède 1802
Petromyzon bicolor Shaw 1804
Petromyzon plumbeus Shaw 1804
?Petromyzon caecus Couch 1832
Petromyzon anomalum De la Pylaie 1835
Petromyzon fluviatilis f. minor Smitt 1895
Petromyzon fluviatilis f. larvalis Smitt 1895
Ammocoetes lamproyon Römer-Büchner 1927

The brook lamprey (Lampetra planeri), also known as the European brook lamprey and the western 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 (Lampetra richardsoni).

Description

Close-up of a brook lamprey's anterior body.

The brook lamprey is a common, non-parasitic species that is endemic to Europe.

Distribution

Brook lampreys can be found in small streams and larger rivers throughout northern Europe as well as Portugal, southern France, Italy, Sardinia, the Balkans and the upper reaches of the Volga.

Biology

Unlike some species of lamprey, the adults do not migrate to the sea and do not have a parasitic phase. During the spawning time adult brook lampreys do not feed. Brook lampreys spawn in spring and summer in shallow areas of streams and sometimes lakes in gravel close to the soft sediment in which they were previously resident. Both males and females create pits by removing small rocks with their mouths and fanning smaller particles with their tails. The male and female deposit sperm and eggs, simultaneously while intertwined, into the nest. The female can release several thousand eggs, up to 100,000 for some species. Adult brook lamprey spawn in small groups and die soon after spawning.

The eggs hatch within a few days, after which the young larvae bury themselves in soft sediment with only the mouth protruding. The young lampreys are blind filter feeders, feeding on detritus and other organic matter for three to five years before maturing. After spending four years as ammocoetes (Larva), these lampreys metamorphose to adults in the fall and spawn the following spring. This process is complete after the maturation of the gonads. Eyes and suction disk also develop during this time, while the intestinal tract degenerates and loses its function. The full transformation can take up to a year. Thus, these fish develop their teeth precisely when they are no longer able to eat. However, lampreys have been observed gripping stones with their teeth in order to build nests, showing that the teeth do have a function.

References

Ford, M.. (2024). "''Lampetra planeri''".
(11 November 2014). "Family-group names of Recent fishes". Zootaxa.
(2017). "Petromyzontidae".
"Brook lamprey: ''Lampetra planeri''". NatureGate.
"Lampreys".
(1900). "On the Nesting Habits of the Brook Lamprey (''Lampetra wilderi'')". The American Naturalist.

Info: Wikipedia Source

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fish-of-europe lampetra fish-described-in-1784 habitats-directive-species

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