Petromyzon marinus
Linnaeus 1758
Family Petromyzontidae
The uppermost sea lamprey in this image was collected from a St. Lawrence River drainage and photographed by Brant Fisher (UF 238556). The bottom sea lamprey larva was collected in an Atlantic Ocean drainage in 1972 (UF 187348).
The sea lamprey is a member of the lamprey family, and has an eel-like body and two dorsal fins. This species of lamprey also has block mottling. The sea lamprey is anadromous, and spawning adults live in gravel riffles and runs of rivers while larvae live in the sand of flowing streams.
The sea lamprey’s oral disk, left, is filled with teeth to help it attach itself to its prey. This specimen was photographed by Brant Fisher and collected in 2015 from a river drainage. The oral hood of a sea lamprey larva is shown on the right. These specimens now belong to the Florida Museum ichthyology collection. Left: UF 238556 Right: UF 187348
