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Petromyzon marinus

(Great Sea Lamprey)

Common Names

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Click on the language to view common names.

Common Names in Albanian:

Kavall Deti, Peshk Kavall

Common Names in Catalan:

Llampresa De Mar

Common Names in Croatian:

Morska Paklara, Paklara

Common Names in Czech:

Mihule Morsk, Mihule Morská, Mihule Mořská

Common Names in Danish:

Havlampret, Havnegenøje, Havnegenøjn, Havnegenje, Havnegenjn, Havniøje, Havnije

Common Names in Dutch:

Zeeprik

Common Names in English:

Eel Sucker, Great Sea Lamprey, Green Lamprey, Green Sea Lamprey, Lamper, Lamprey, Lamprey Eel, Marine Lamprey, Nannie Nine Eyes, Nine Eyes, Sea Lamprey, Shad Lamprey, Spotted Lamprey, Stone Sucker, Sucker

Common Names in Faroese:

Kjølsúgari, Kjlsgari, Súgari, Súgvari, Sgari, Sgvari

Common Names in Finnish:

Merinahkiainen

Common Names in French:

Anguille Musique, Grande Lamproie, Grande Lamproie Marine, Lamparda, Lampré, Lampr, Lampreda, Lampresa, Lamprez, Lampria, Lamproia, Lamproie, Lamproie De Mer, Lamproie Marbrée, Lamproie Marbre, Lamproie Marine, Lamprua, Pesciu Pece, Sept-œil, Sept-œil, Sept-il, Set-Ulls, Suce-Pierre, Suchja Pece

Common Names in Gaelic, Iris:

An Loimpre Mhara

Common Names in Gaelic, Irish:

An Loimpre Mhara, Lamproie

Common Names in German:

Große Lamprete, Großes Neunauge, Groe Lamprete, Groes Neunauge, Lamprete, Meer-Neunauge, Meerneunauge, Meerpricke, Neunaugenkönig, Neunaugenknig, Seelamprete

Common Names in Greek:

Γαλιά, Λάμπενα, Λάμπρενα, Λάμπρινα, Πετρόμυζον, Γαλιά, Λάμπρενα, Λάμπρινα, Λάμπενα, Πετρόμυζον, Petromyzon

Common Names in Greek, Modern (1453):

Πετρόμυζον, Petromyzon

Common Names in Icelandic:

Sæsteinsuga, Ssteinsuga

Common Names in Irish:

An Loimpre Mhara, Lamproie

Common Names in Italian:

Lampreda Di Mare, Lampreda Marina

Common Names in Maltese:

Buwahhal, Qalfat, Sangisug

Common Names in Mandarin Chinese:

海七鰓鰻, 海七鰓鰻, 海七鳃鳗

Common Names in Norwegian:

Havniøye, Havniye

Common Names in Other:

Morski Piskor, Morski Piškur

Common Names in Polish:

Minóg Morski, Ming Morski

Common Names in Portuguese:

Lampreia Do Mar, Lampreia-Do-Mar, Lampreia-Marinha, Lampreira (-Marinha), Lampreira Marinha, Lampreira-Marinha

Common Names in Romanian:

Chiscar De Mare

Common Names in Rumanian:

Chiscar De Mare

Common Names in Russian:

минога морская, морская минога, минога морская, морская минога, Morskaja Minoga, Morskaya Minoga

Common Names in Serbian:

Morska Paklara

Common Names in Slovak:

Mihula Morsk, Mihula Morská

Common Names in Slovenian:

Morski Piskor

Common Names in Spanish:

Amprea, Amprega, Chucladit, FerrÍtimo, Ferrêtimo, Ferrtimo, Lampardia, Lamprea, Lamprea De Mar, Lamprea Marina, Lampreia, Llamprea, Llampresa, Llampresa De Mar, Pegatimôn, Pegatimn, Xuclador

Common Names in Swedish:

Havsnejonöga, Havsnejonga

Common Names in Turkish:

Derebofa Baligi

Description

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Family Petromyzontidae

Distribution: mainly temperate zones of the world. Marine species anadromous . Eel-like, jawless fish with cartilaginous skeleton and notochord . Pouch-like gills not supported by gill arches. No scales and no paired fins ; 1-2 dorsal fins. Teeth on oral disc and tongue. Dorsal and ventral nerve roots separated. Nasohypophyseal sac has an external opening only. Intestinal tract with spiral valve and cilia. Sexes separate. Eggs numerous (thousands), small and not yolky, buried in spawning redds excavated in clean, hard bottoms (litophilous broodhiders). Parents die after spawning. Radical metamorphosis of ammocoete larvae in freshwater . Lampreys (together with hagfishes ) are the most primitive extant vertebrates . Definite fossil records date back to the upper Carboniferous, about 280 million years ago[1]. Members of Petromyzontinae have the highest number of chromosomes (164-174) among vertebrates. Larvae max 10 cm, adults max 120 cm. Parasitic or non-parasitic, the latter restricted to freshwater. Ammocoetes and adults are used as bait in some areas. A number of species are used as food. petr- (gr.) = stone , myz- (gr.) = suck Some authors put the southern hemisphere lampreys into the separate families Mordaciidae and Geotriidae[1].The family Petromyzontidae belongs to the Class Cephalaspidomorphi (lampreys) and the Order Petromyzontiformes. It contains 6 genera and 41 species. It may be found in Marine, Brackish , and Freshwater environments and is primarily Peripheral/diadromous. Members of this family are not used in the aquarium trade. Reproductively, most members of this family are nonguarders. The main mode of swimming of adult fish in this family is anguilliform . Members of this family have been dated back to the Permian period. This family may be found from 78° n to 29° s and 180° w to 180° e. Etymology of this family name : Latin, petra = stone + Greek, myzo = to suckle + Greek, odous, odontos = teeth

Physical Description

Species Petromyzon marinus

Body: Mouth and Snout: Sucking disk in adults , flexible hood in juveniles , no jaw. Teeth weakly developed in adults, none in juveniles. No barbels . Gill openings consist of seven circular holes . Body Pattern : Mottled color in adults, solid in ammocoetes . Dorsal side and flanks with dark brown to black mottling on lighter browning background in adults, solid dark brown or gray in ammocoetes, grading to lighter gray/brown or off-white ventrally in both adults and ammocoetes. Lateral pores unpigmented. No scales . Body Shape : Elongate , cylindrical, flexible body. Typical adult size is 350-550 mm (12-24 inches) with a maximum length of 760 mm.

Fins : Rounded tail. Dorsal fin with no spines. No anal , pectoral , pelvic or adipose fins . The dorsal fin is divided into two lobes--the posterior is continuous with the caudal fin and the anterior is separate.

Distinguishing characteristics: Eel-like body and sucking disk identify the lamprey family . First and second dorsal fins are separate. Lateral pores unpigmented. Adults only: maximum disk diameter greater than maximum body diameter; supraorbital lamina teeth cusps close together, inner circumoral teeth bicuspid . Maximum length 760 mm. 63-73 trunk myomeres. See also similar species information.

Breeding adults: The coloring of breeding males is richer and more pronounced, and the dorsal fins are somewhat elevated .

Juveniles: Ammocoete form. Distinguished from adults by head and mouth characteristics. Ammocoetes lack eyes, have a hood-like covering of the mouth without a papillary fringe , and have soft sieve-like tissue in the mouth. Juveniles are a less mottled gray/brown.

Habitat

Typically found in water with a depth of -2,400 to 0 meters (-7,874 to 0 feet).[2]

Biome: Fresh water , brackish water, saltwater . Demersal .

Ecology: Adults live in sea and enter rivermouth in spring for spawning. Larvae live in rivers .[3]

Biology

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Diet

The larvae live in rivers where they feed on microorganisms and detritus [4][5]. Feeds on dead or netted fish but also attach themselves to healthy fish (e.g. bony fish, sharks and even marine mammals) by scraping a hole in their skin and sucking out the blood, body fluids and flesh[5]. An anticoagulant substance prevents the blood of the prey from clotting. The landlocked form is very destructive to freshwater fishes and occasionally annoys bathers by clinging to them.

Migration

Amphihaline species making important migrations[5]. Spends its adult life in the sea for about 20 to 30 months. Adults enter estuaries for spawning in spring ; after spawning they normally die[5].

Taxonomy

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Ambiguous Synonyms

  1. Petromyzon adriaticus Nardo, 1847
  2. Petromyzon concolor Wright, 1892
  3. Petromyzon maximus Cuvier, 1816
  4. Petromyzon ruber Lacepède, 1800

Unambiguous Synonyms

  1. Ammocoetes bicolor Lesueur, 1818
  2. Batymyzon bairdii (Gill, 1883)
  3. Lampetra marina (Linnaeus, 1758)
  4. Oceanomyzon wilsoni Fowler, 1908
  5. Petromyzon americanus Lesueur, 1818
  6. Petromyzon bairdii Gill, 1883
  7. Petromyzon lampetra Pallas, 1814
  8. Petromyzon maculosus Gronow, 1854
  9. Petromyzon marinus dorsatus Wilder, 1883
  10. Petromyzon marinus unicolor Gage, 1928
  11. Petromyzon nigricans Lesueur, 1818

Similar Species

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Fish Name 1st and 2nd Dorsal Fins Trunk Myomeres Lateral Pores Maximum Disk Diameter Relative to Maximum Body Diameter in Adults Suproral Lamina Teeth Inner Circumoral Teeth Maximum Total Length (mm) in WI Similarity Index American Brook Lamprey Separated 64-75 Unpigmented Less Widely separated Bicuspid 202 Very similar as ammocoetes, moderately similar as adults Chestnut Lamprey Connected 51-56 Pigmented Greater Close together Bicuspid 271 Moderately similar Northern Brook Lamprey Connected 46-56 Unpigmented Less Close together Unicupsid 171 Moderately similar Sea Lamprey Separated 63-73 Unpigmented Greater Close together Bicuspid 760 N/A Silver Lamprey Connected 46-53 Unpigmented (pigmented in large adults) Greater Close together Unicupsid 385 Moderately similar Southern Brook Lamprey Connected 49-57 Pigmented Less Close together Bicuspid ~170 Moderately similar

Members of the genus Petromyzon

There are approximately 52 species in this genus:

P. acutidens · P. marinus · P. americanus · Lampetra planeri · P. astori · P. ayresii · P. bairdii · P. bdellium · Lampetra planeri · P. borealis · Lampetra richardsoni · Lampetra planeri · P. ciliatus · P. cirrhatus · P. marinus · Lampetra tridentata · P. fluviatalis · P. fluviatilis · P. fluviatilis larvalis · P. fluviatilis major · P. fluviatilis minor · P. japonicus · Lethenteron camtschaticum · P. kessleri · P. lampetra · P. leucopterus · P. lividus · P. lumbricalis · Lampetra fluviatilis · P. macrostomus · P. maculosus · P. marinas · P. marinus (Great Sea Lamprey) · P. marinus camtschaticus · P. marinus dorsatus · P. marinus marinus (Great Sea Lamprey) · P. marinus unicolor · P. marinus · P. mordax · P. myxine · P. niger · P. nigricans · Ichthyomyzon bdellium · P. omalii · P. planaria · P. planeri · Lampetra fluviatilis · P. marinus · P. sanguisuga · P. tridentatus · P. wagneri · P. wilderi

More Info

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Further Reading

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Notes

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Contributors

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 18, 2007:

Identifiers

Footnotes

  1. Hardisty, M.W. (1986). A general introduction to lampreys. p. 19-84. In J. Holck (ed.) The Freshwater fishes of Europe. Vol. 1, Part 1. Petromyzontiformes. [back]
  2. Mean = 176.020 meters (577.493 feet), Standard Deviation = 219.430 based on 1,610 observations. Ocean depth information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]
  3. World Conservation Monitoring Centre 1996. In IUCN 2008. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCNRedList.org. Downloaded July 18, 2008. [back]
  4. Billard, R. (1997). Les poissons d'eau douce des rivires de France. Identification, inventaire et rpartition des 83 espces. Lausanne: Delachaux & Niestl, 192p. [back]
  5. "Murdannia stenothyrsa". in Flora of China Vol. 24 Page 31. Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
Last Revised: 2009-06-17