Pouched lamprey (Geotria australis)

Scientific name: Geotria australis Gray, 1851

Pouched lamprey (Geotria australis)

The Pouched lamprey (Geotria australis) is a freshwater fish of the family Petromyzontidae. Native range: Atlantic, Indian and Pacific, coasts of all southern continents, extending into rivers of southern Chile and Argentina.

Biology

Occurs in mud burrows in upper reaches of coastal streams for the first four years of life until metamorphosis and subsequent downstream migration to the sea. Adults inhabit the sea for an undetermined period and are parasitic on other fishes. Migrate upstream which may last for 16 months and spawn in freshwater. Adults are often found below weirs and dams during their spawning migration which may take them 60 km or more upstream of the coast. Migration mostly takes place in rainy nights when water levels are rising, with temperatures between 12-14.5°C and when there is extensive cloud cover or during the dark phase of the moon. Sometimes they exit the water by wriggling up the bank to bypass obstacles to migration. Adults stop feeding while in freshwater and die shortly after spawning. Maximum length reported to reach 62 cm TL. Common length is 45-50 cm. Status of abundance decreased due to proliferati

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Geotria australis
Family
Petromyzontidae (Lampreys)
Order
Petromyzontiformes (Lampreys)
Class
Cephalaspidomorphi (Lampreys)
Maximum length
62.0
Environment
Marine; freshwater; brackish; demersal; anadromous
Climate
Temperate
Distribution
Atlantic, Indian and Pacific: coasts of all southern continents, extending into rivers of southern Chile and Argentina.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Fisheries: of no interest
Resilience
Very Low, minimum population doubling time more than 14 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

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