Brook lamprey
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| Brook lamprey | ||||||||||||||
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| Lampetra planeri Bloch, 1784 |
The Brook lamprey (Lampetra planeri, also known as the European brook lamprey and the Western brook lamprey) is a jawless fish found in the European part of the Atlantic Ocean, the northwest Mediterranean, and on the European continent. This lamprey is the most common north European species and is also the smallest. Adult brook lamprey (Lampetra planeri) measure from 12-14cm and spawn in gravels during the springtime. Although they are found in small streams, as their name suggests, they are also found in larger rivers. Brook lamprey ammocoetes live in soft sandy/mud for a number of years before maturing. These young lampreys are blind and are filter feeders, eating detritus and other organic matter.
Unlike most species of lamprey, the adults do not migrate to sea nor do they have a parasitic phase. Adult brook lamprey do not feed and they spawn close to the soft sediment in which they were previously resident.
[edit] References
- Animal, Smithsonian Institution, 2005
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