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Ichthyomyzon castaneus

Girard, 1858

Chestnut Lamprey

G5Secure Found in 1 roadless area NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
LowThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.105804
Element CodeAFBAA01020
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassPetromyzontida
OrderPetromyzontiformes
FamilyPetromyzontidae
GenusIchthyomyzon
COSEWICDD
Other Common Names
Lamproie brune (FR)
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.
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2025-12-09
Change Date2025-12-09
Edition Date2025-12-09
Edition AuthorsHammerson, G. (2012); rev. R. L. Gundy (2025)
Threat ImpactLow
Range Extent200,000-2,500,000 square km (about 80,000-1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences81 - 300
Rank Reasons
This species is widespread in the east-central U.S. and adjacent Ontario. No major threats are known at this time and the population appears to be stable.
Range Extent Comments
This species is found in major Gulf Coast river drainages of the east-central United States and adjacent southern Canada. The range extends from eastern North Dakota and southern Ontario along the Great Lakes south to the Gulf Coast from southeastern Texas east to Alabama (Renaud et al. 1996, Flammang and Olson 2010, Page and Burr 2011, Steffensen 2015, Eisenhour et al. 2018, Salinger et al. 2018, McAllister et al. 2023, Hartman et al. 2024). Using Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) (2025) records from 1995-2025, range extent is estimated to be 2.02 million km² (RARECAT 2025).
Occurrences Comments
This species is represented by a large number of occurrences (subpopulations). Applying a 10 km separation distance to GBIF (2025) records, 182 occurrences are estimated (RARECAT 2025).
Threat Impact Comments
No major threats are known.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Adults live in medium and large rivers; larvae burrow in bottom of smaller tributaries in areas of moderate current, later move into more densely vegetated areas with softer bottom (Scott and Crossman 1973). Adults also occur in large reservoirs. Eggs are laid in a nest in the river bottom; may cover eggs with stones (Becker 1983).

Reproduction

Spawns in spring or summer. Larval stage lasts about 5-7 years. Larvae metamorphose late summer to winter. Adults spend summer feeding, overwinter, spawn during following summer, then die (Scott and Crossman 1973).
Other Nations (2)
United StatesN4
ProvinceRankNative
North DakotaSNRYes
MichiganS4Yes
ArkansasS4Yes
KentuckyS2Yes
MissouriSNRYes
MississippiS3Yes
TexasS3Yes
LouisianaS4Yes
IllinoisS2Yes
AlabamaS4Yes
WisconsinS4Yes
OklahomaSNRYes
GeorgiaS3Yes
MinnesotaSNRYes
KansasS1Yes
IndianaS4Yes
TennesseeS4Yes
IowaS2Yes
CanadaNU
ProvinceRankNative
ManitobaSUYes
SaskatchewanSUYes
OntarioS1Yes
QuebecS3Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
No known threats———

—

Roadless Areas (1)
Arkansas (1)
AreaForestAcres
East ForkOzark-St. Francis National Forest13,037
References (46)
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