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Home/Species/ Least Brook Lamprey

Lampetra aepyptera

(Abbott, 1860)

Least Brook Lamprey

G5Secure Found in 1 roadless area NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.103442
Element CodeAFBAA02010
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassPetromyzontida
OrderPetromyzontiformes
FamilyPetromyzontidae
GenusLampetra
Synonyms
Lampetra meridionaleVladykov, Kott and Pharand-Coad, 1975
Concept Reference
Robins, C.R., R.M. Bailey, C.E. Bond, J.R. Brooker, E.A. Lachner, R.N. Lea, and W.B. Scott. 1991. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States and Canada. American Fisheries Society, Special Publication 20. 183 pp.
Taxonomic Comments
This species has been placed in genus Okkelbergia by some authors; usually Okkelbergia is recognized as a subgenus of Lampetra. Lampetra aepyptera includes L. meridionale, which was treated as a questionably distinct species by Lee et al. (1980), but which was not recognized by Page and Burr (1991) nor in the 1980 and 1991 AFS checklists (Robins et al. 1980, 1991).
Conservation Status
Rank MethodExpertise without calculation
Review Date2012-02-21
Change Date1996-09-05
Edition Date2012-02-21
Edition AuthorsHammerson, G.
Range Extent200,000-2,500,000 square km (about 80,000-1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences81 - 300
Range Extent Comments
Range includes the North American Atlantic Slope from the Susquehanna River drainage, southeastern Pennsylvania to James River, Virginia; Neuse and Tar river drainage, North Carolina; Mississippi River basin from western Pennsylvania to south-central Missouri and northern Arkansas, south to southern Mississippi; Gulf Slope drainages from Mobile Bay basin, Georgia, to the Pearl River, Mississippi (Page and Burr 2011).
Occurrences Comments
This species is represented by a large number of occurrences (subpopulations).
Threat Impact Comments
No major threats are known.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Habitat includes clean, clear gravel riffles and runs of creeks and small rivers; larvae burrow in bottom of quiet water (e.g., spring-fed wetlands, pools and backwaters of small, sand- or mud-bottomed streams) (Page and Burr 2011). Adults usually are found in breeding areas. Eggs are laid in nests in gravelly riffles.

Reproduction

Spawns in late winter or spring. Eggs hatch in 3-4 weeks. Larval stage lasts about 5-6 years. Larvae metamorphose in late summer. Adults overwinter, spawn, then die. Coastal Plain population of western Kentucky and Tennessee exhibits characteristics of neoteny (Page and Burr 1991).
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
IndianaS2Yes
MississippiS4Yes
KentuckyS4Yes
AlabamaS5Yes
MissouriS4Yes
PennsylvaniaS4Yes
GeorgiaSUYes
MarylandS4Yes
ArkansasS3Yes
DelawareS2Yes
OhioS5Yes
TennesseeS5Yes
VirginiaS3Yes
North CarolinaS2Yes
West VirginiaS4Yes
IllinoisS2Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
No known threats———

—

Roadless Areas (1)
Kentucky (1)
AreaForestAcres
WolfpenDaniel Boone National Forest2,835
References (28)
  1. Boschung, H. T., and R. L. Mayden. 2004. Fishes of Alabama. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C. 960 pp.
  2. Burr, B. M., and M. L. Warren, Jr. 1986a. Distributional atlas of Kentucky fishes. Kentucky Nature Preserves Commission, Scientific and Technical Series No. 4, Frankfort, Kentucky. 398 pp.
  3. Burr, Brooks M. (Department of Zoology, Southern Illinois University) and Donovan B. Henry. 2000. Review and annotation of fish watershed distribution maps. Review requested by Anthony E. Zammit, ABI. June 2000.
  4. Cooper, E. L. 1983. Fishes of Pennsylvania and the northeastern United States. Pennsylvania State University Press, University Park. 243 pp.
  5. Etnier, D. A., and W. C. Starnes. 1993. The fishes of Tennessee. University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville, Tennessee. xiv + 681 pp.
  6. Hardisty, M. W. and I. C. Potter, eds. 1971. The Biology of Lampreys. Academic Press, London and New York. pp. 1-65.
  7. Hrabik, Robert A. (Missouri Department of Conservation). 1997. Review and annotation of fish watershed distribution maps. Review requested by Ruth Mathews, TNC. May 1997.
  8. Jenkins, R. E., and N. M. Burkhead. 1994. Freshwater fishes of Virginia. American Fisheries Society, Bethesda, Maryland. xxiii + 1079 pp.
  9. Lee, D. S., C. R. Gilbert, C. H. Hocutt, R. E. Jenkins, D. E. McAllister, and J. R. Stauffer, Jr. 1980. Atlas of North American freshwater fishes. North Carolina State Museum of Natural History, Raleigh, North Carolina. i-x + 854 pp.
  10. Menhinick, E. F. 1991. The freshwater fishes of North Carolina. North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. 227 pp.
  11. Mettee, Maurice. F. "Scott" (Icthyologist, Geological Survey of Alabama). 2000. Review and annotation of fish watershed distribution maps. Review requested by Anthony E. Zammit, TNC. April 2000.
  12. Mettee, M. F., P. E. O'Neil, and J. M. Pierson. 1996. Fishes of Alabama and the Mobile Basin. Oxmoor House, Birmingham, Alabama. 820 pp.
  13. Nelson, J. S., E. J. Crossman, H. Espinosa-Perez, L. T. Findley, C. R. Gilbert, R. N. Lea, and J. D. Williams. 2004. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States, Canada, and Mexico. American Fisheries Society, Special Publication 29, Bethesda, Maryland. 386 pp.
  14. Okkelberg, P. 1922. Notes on the life history of the brook lamprey, <i>Ichthyomyzon unicolor</i>. Occasional Papers of the Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan. No. 125. 14 pp.
  15. Page, L. M., and B. M. Burr. 1991. A field guide to freshwater fishes: North America north of Mexico. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts. 432 pp.
  16. Page, L. M., and B. M. Burr. 2011. Peterson field guide to freshwater fishes of North America north of Mexico. Second edition. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Boston. xix + 663 pp.
  17. Page, L. M., H. Espinosa-Pérez, L. T. Findley, C. R. Gilbert, R. N. Lea, N. E. Mandrak, R. L. Mayden, and J. S. Nelson. 2013. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Seventh edition. American Fisheries Society, Special Publication 34, Bethesda, Maryland.
  18. Page, L. M., K. E. Bemis, T. E. Dowling, H.S. Espinosa-Pérez, L.T. Findley, C. R. Gilbert, K. E. Hartel, R. N. Lea, N. E. Mandrak, M. A. Neigbors, J. J. Schmitter-Soto, and H. J. Walker, Jr. 2023. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Eighth edition. American Fisheries Society (AFS), Special Publication 37, Bethesda, Maryland, 439 pp.
  19. Pflieger, W. L. 1975. The fishes of Missouri. Missouri Department of Conservation. Columbia, Missouri. viii + 343 pp.
  20. Raesly, Richard L. (Frostburg State University). 2000. Review and annotation of fish watershed distribution maps. Review requested by Anthony E. Zammit, ABI. April 2000.
  21. Robins, C.R., R.M. Bailey, C.E. Bond, J.R. Brooker, E.A. Lachner, R.N. Lea, and W.B. Scott. 1991. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States and Canada. American Fisheries Society, Special Publication 20. 183 pp.
  22. Robins, C.R., R.M. Bailey, C.E. Bond, J.R. Brooker, E.A. Lackner, R.N. Lea, and W.K. Scott. 1980. A List of Common and Scientific Names of Fishes from the US and Canada. 4th edition. American Fisheries Society, Special Publication No. 12, Bethesda, Maryland. 174 pp.
  23. Rohde, F.C., R.G. Arndt, and J.C.S. Wang. 1976. Life history of the freshwater lampreys <i>Okkelbergia aepyptera</i> and <i>Lampetra lamottenii</i>, on the Delmarva Peninsula (East Coast, United States). Bulletin of the Southern California Academy of Science 75(2):99-111.
  24. Ross, S. T., and W. M. Brenneman. 1991. Distribution of freshwater fishes in Mississippi. Freshwater Fisheries Report No. 108. D-J Project Completion Report F-69. Mississippi Department of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries and Parks. Jackson, Mississippi. 548 pp.
  25. Ross, Stephen T. (University of Southern Mississippi, Department of Biological Sciences). 2001. Review and annotation of fish watershed distribution maps. Review requested by Anthony E. Zammit, ABI.
  26. Smith, P. W. 1979. The fishes of Illinois. University of Illinois Press, Urbana. 314 pp.
  27. Stauffer, J. R., Jr., J. M. Boltz, and L. R. White. 1995. The fishes of West Virginia. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 146:1-389.
  28. Trautman, M. B. 1981. The fishes of Ohio. Second edition. Ohio State University Press, Columbus, Ohio. 782 pp.