Sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus)

Scientific name: Petromyzon marinus Linnaeus, 1758

Sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus)

The Sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) is a freshwater fish of the family Petromyzontidae. In the aquarium it needs water at 5–20°C (41–68°F).

Sea lamprey care at a glance

Temperature
5–20°C (41–68°F)

Biology

Vertebrae: 0. Anguilliform body. Presence of 7 branchial openings. Two separated dorsal fins, the second continuous with the caudal fin. Number of myomeres: 67-74. Brown-yellow colored on the dorsal and lateral part of the body, with black marblings.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Petromyzon marinus
Family
Petromyzontidae (Lampreys)
Order
Petromyzontiformes (Lampreys)
Class
Cephalaspidomorphi (Lampreys)
Maximum length
120
Common length
60.0
Depth range
1–2200 m (3–7218 ft)
Environment
Marine; freshwater; brackish; demersal; anadromous; depth range 1 - 2200 m
Climate
Temperate
Distribution
Northeast Atlantic: Norway including Iceland and the Barents Sea, south to northern Africa. Throughout the western Mediterranean but absent from eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea. Western Atlantic: Labrador, Canada to Gulf of Mexico in Florida, USA. Landlocked in Great Lakes, Finger Lakes, Oneida Lake and Lake Champlain, Canada/USA. Appendix III of the Bern Convention.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Least Concern (LC)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Fisheries: minor commercial
Resilience
Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (K 0.16; tm=5-12; Relative Fec = 233)

Sources

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

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