Pacific Lamprey [Entosphenus tridentatus]
Description
The Pacific Lamprey is a parasitic lamprey species native to the Pacific Ocean. Adults can grow up to 80 cm in length. They are anadromous and have a complex life cycle with several distinct stages: ammocoetes, macrothalmia, and adults. Ammocoetes are filter feeding larvae that live burrowed in soft sediments of freshwater streams. After several years, the ammocoetes undergo metamorphosis and become macrothalmia, which have eyes and teeth, and migrate to the ocean. As adults they parasitize fishes for nutrient. Distinctive features include a round, sucker-like mouth, and the presence of three large, sharp teeth on the supraoral bar.
Taxonomy
| Phylum |
Chordates
Chordata
|
|---|---|
| Class |
Lampreys
Petromyzontida
|
| Order |
Northern Lampreys
Petromyzontiformes
|
| Family |
Northern Lampreys
Petromyzontidae
|
| Genus |
Pacific Lamprey
Entosphenus
|