After close to a six year search I found some SL recently
Been searching for them out here for years,

Seems they are making a comeback here on Lake St. clair,ZM's
are the possable reason for them being more common,
as they have lowered the contaminate levels, I do though
wonder if the ZM may be directly compeating for the Pho.Pkn. that the
SL Lrv. may need to survive, seeing as the Lrv. require Alg. and Dia. type
Pho. Pkn This may just be temporary condition, though the ZM's have not been
found yet in the most local of the SL Breeding streams,

It was quite a joy though finially finding SL's in the area,
was quit concerned about the future of this species,
Little less so now

[Advertisements]

Dude English please

[pcrose]

pictures pleasee

I really have no Pics of Silver Lamprey (Ichthyomyzon unicuspis), not sure of many online,
here is one I found,

specimens I have seen from this area are not as well patterned and much more bland
usually the lateral sides are much more pale
more informaton can be found here
Silver Lamprey link

This post has been edited by Polypterus: 13 July 2003 - 02:09 AM

Which just gave more information?
the first post or the second I offered?
Me using an acronym or me giving fully, all information I have
to offer, Pics and links along with the full name,
I freaking rest my case,
Related discussion can be found here
acrynom discussion

by they way though this is a valid subject
and I am quite happy that I found these fish

This post has been edited by Polypterus: 13 July 2003 - 02:06 AM

[Innes]

nice point dude

that picture reminds me of a bercher fish

[Death in #'s]

Quote

by they way though this is a valid subject
and I am quite happy that I found these fish 

[Innes]

last time I read this I had no idea what it was all about, I understand better now, but what is a ZM?
and WTF is Pho.Pkn. and in general is their any way to fully explain what happend so I understand - as it is I know you found a fish in a lake, it was quite rare and it looks like an eel (probbibly is one)

Silver Lamprey (Ichthyomyzon unicuspis),
are Jawless fishes, they are very ancient in orgin,
their relatives recording back some 300 million years.

You may have heard of the
Sea Lamprey, a close cousin, Famous for wiping out the
Lake trout and Whitefish fisherys in the Great Lakes,

The Silver Lamprey is Native to the great lakes and does not
Frequently cause any damage to Native fish populations,

Some Lampreys such as the sea and Silver are Parasitic, in
their adult form they feed on the Blood and Bodily fluids of
other Fishes, They attach to the side of a host fish then Rasp a
hole though the skin, using a bony tounge,

The"Mouth" of a Sea Lamprey Clearly showing the circumsal teeth and tounge


Sea lamprey on the side of a Lake trout, (a recent wound from one can
also be seen just above and sliightly to the left of the Pectrol fin)

Lamprey are quite facinating fishes which I could go on about for quite a bit,
I love these fish, they are Remarkable animals seriously lacking the
respect they deserve,

But to get to the point,

Silver Lamprey have been thought to have been exterminated
From my local area, a number of them though have begun
to pop up again, This is really good,
There has been some discussion about exactly why,

The Zebra Mussel an Exotic "Clam" from the caspian sea may be
responsable, as they have filtered the water to such clarity
that the Silver Lampreys can easily find Prey items,
Lampreys hunt prey by sight,

This may be a double edged sword though,
Larval Lamprey (Ammocoetus) are Filter feeders themselves
and feed on the very same Phytoplankton (Algea and diatoms)
that the Zebra mussel thrive on, therefore this may just be
a short lived population explosion,
Only time will tell but is it a good sign the Local Lake St. Clair
enviornment is improving

This post has been edited by Polypterus: 13 July 2003 - 10:03 PM

[thoroughbred]

great post god theyre ugly but everyone animal has its place its this ones is sucking fluid outta other fish lol

[Innes]

one crazy looking fish

[thePACK]

VERY NICE ..WICKED PHOTOS..

Was working on this eairlier, here is some more detailed info on
Lamprey:


Lamprey "eels" (Petromyzontidae)

Lamprey are not actually eels, they are very primitive
Jawless fishes very different from your typical Bony fishes,
Lamprey are scaleless and have no paired fins, Lamprey do not have
a Bony skeleton , it is comprised of cartilage only, and is very
primitive in construction.
Lampreys' gills are highly specialized and lie in separate pockets,
Seven "porelike" openings are found on each side of the head.
As mentioned above Lamprey are devoid of jaws, instead they possess a
tooth-lined sucking disk,

The Life historys of these fish are quite remarkable, From birth to
Death, they undergo drastic changes at each stage.
The majority of a Lampreys life span is spent in the larval form, known
as Ammocoeteus, the larvae live in borrows on the muddy bottoms of streams
and rivers, they look like for lack of a better description, a Worm.
the larvae have no eyes, their Median fins are not developed, and
they have an odd fleshy oral hood, The larvae feed on algae, and other
microscopic organisms by filtering them from the water column,
They remain larvae from 3-7 years depending on species, some may
remain this way for as long as 13 years,
When time comes to metamorphose into the adult form,
which depending on species takes place in either mid-summer or fall,
they rapidly change form, The oral hood becomes a well formed mouth and
the teeth develop, the eyes fully form, and Body length increases,

Here Lamprey species split into two separate types,
Parasitic or Non-Parasitic,

Parasitic species retain a functional digestive tract, Non-parasite species
Lose all traces of a digestive tract and cease feeding.

Parasitic species seek out a host fish from which to feed.
When spotting an appropriate fish
the Lamprey attaches it's self fast using the strong suction of its mouth,
and circumsorial teeth,
the fish then begins to scrape away the scales and flesh of the host fish
using it's strong Tooth lined tongue, an Anti-coagulant known as
Lamphredin is then secreted from glands that line the rim of the mouth
thus insuring a steady flow of Blood, Lamprey remain on the host fish
either until they are done feeding or the host dies. Most Lamprey
feed at night to avoid being prey themselves.

The adult stage of a Lamprey is short not usually lasting longer than 20 months.

They then again go through a series of physiological changes
in preparation for spawning. The parasitic species begin to
reabsorb the digestive tract and the Reproductive organs begin to
Develop, In both Parasitic and Non parasite fish the muscle tissue,
eyes and skin begin to deteriorate.

All species of Lamprey begin a migration in spring to a suitable stream
or river to spawn, While some Lampreys are salt-water fishes as adults,
they only breed in fresh water. Most Lampreys make nests by picking up
and moving around stones to create a sort of half-circle, After spawning
all species die.

This is but a short introduction to the Lamprey,
There is much more about them that could be written
though for the sake of brevity
I won't go there :laugh:Questions though are always
welcome, I'll do my best to anwser each to the best of my knowledge
or refer you to who can.

Lamprey in the Aquarium:
Lamprey can be kept in aquaria, though this is not an easy task,
The cost of keeping them usually is not worth the effort for the majority
of hobbyists, The parasitic species can be very difficult to maintain due
to the live foods they need, and all require very good water conditions.

I would be a hypocrite though to say you should not try if you are so
inclined to do so, These are very fascinating fish and their captive care
is not all that well understood, I have been working with two species
The Chestnut Lamprey (Ichthyomyzon castaneus) and the
Northern Brook Lamprey (Ichthyomyzon fossor), Both are currently
in the larval Ammocoetes form, I hope to raise these to adults and then
attempt to breed them in captivity, something to my knowledge none has
yet accomplished from long term captive fish.

Several species are Red-listed as endangered species and many are locally
threatened or protected, No Lamprey are available through the LFS,
if you seek these fish you must catch them yourself, be sure you understand
well the laws regarding their collection and disposal, I would highly
suggest doing a whole lot of research before taking these fish on, in a forum
such as this there is only so much to be learned, I can help some, but
really with keeping Lamprey in captivity, we are in a whole new world
and slowly learning

wow very interesting.

Good luck in your attempt. keep us posted on your progress

[Innes]

can we have a pic of your lampreys or differant species of lampery please?




great post

I'll post up soon a whole series of lamprey links,

My camera is totaly screwed not going to have many
new pics for a bit,
(Dropped it in the river sh*t happens)

[Innes]

Quote

(Dropped it in the river    sh*t happens)

[pcrose]

you can catch those in the rivers up here

pcrose,
Where are you at, I'm sure some species are in your area,
Lampreys are very localized, but very common throughout North
America and Europe as well as both the northern atlantic and pacific oceans

Lamprey are very secrective fish which is why most really do not
relize how common they really are, give me a generlized location and I might
be able to give you some locations to look