River lamprey (Lampetra fluviatilis)

Scientific name: Lampetra fluviatilis Linnaeus, 1758

River lamprey (Lampetra fluviatilis)

The River lamprey (Lampetra fluviatilis) is a freshwater fish of the family Petromyzontidae. In the aquarium it needs water at 5–18°C (41–64°F).

River lamprey care at a glance

Temperature
5–18°C (41–64°F)

Biology

Amphihaline species. Adults live in the sea, but not as far from the coastline as Petromyzon marinus. They also occur in estuaries. Ammocoetes live in detritus-rich sand or clay sediments. In autumn, adults commonly undergo reproductive migration from the sea to the rivers. During reproductive migration and reproduction, adults do not feed but instead utilize their lipid reserves and are known to undergo a considerable shortening of up to 27 per cent. They spawn in strong-current habitats of rivers and streams. Spawning takes place in pre-excavated pits in river beds, its depth between 50 cm and 1 m; after spawning the adults die. The blind ammocoetes larvae are filter feeders and live mostly buried in the river bed. Metamorphosis takes pl

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Lampetra fluviatilis
Family
Petromyzontidae (Lampreys)
Order
Petromyzontiformes (Lampreys)
Class
Cephalaspidomorphi (Lampreys)
Maximum length
50.0
Common length
32
Depth range
10 m (33 ft)
Environment
Marine; freshwater; brackish; demersal; anadromous; depth range 10 - ? m
Climate
Temperate
Distribution
Europe: coastal waters and rivers of north-western Mediterranean Sea, along European Atlantic coast, North Sea and the whole of Baltic Sea. Absent from Black, Caspian and Polar seas. Landlocked populations from Lake Mjosa in Norway, Lakes Ladoga and Onega, upper Volga in Russia, Loch Lomond in Scotland, some Finnish lakes and possibly in Lough Neagh in Ireland. Appendix III of the Bern Convention. Protected by law in the Netherlands.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Least Concern (LC)
Threat to humans
Poisonous to eat
Uses
Fisheries: minor commercial; bait: usually
Resilience
Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (tm=4-6; tmax=10; fec = 4,000)

Sources

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

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