California Fish Species

Kern Brook Lamprey

• Scientific Name

  Lampetra hubbsi
• Native

  Native Species
• Identification

  

  • Small lamprey, adults: 8-14 cm TL, ammocoetes: 11-15 cm TL
  • Body segments (myomeres): 51-57, mean of 54
  • Coloration: Back and sides gray-brown, white underside
  • Dorsal fins absent of pigment, black pigmentation present on tail near notochord
  • Oral disc narrower than head
  • Plates or teeth:
    • Supraoral plate: 2 cusps
    • Lateral teeth: 3-4 teeth on each side, 1 cusp each
• Life History

  The non-predatory Kern brook lamprey has not been extensively studied and identified because of a limited and scattered distribution. They appear similar to the western brook lamprey in both appearance and life history. Kern brook lampreys tend to occupy slow backwaters of foothill streams. Ammocoetes burrow themselves into the soft silt or sandy substrate in the margins of runs or pools. Favorable conditions includes substrate depths of 30-110 cm and water temperatures that rarely exceed 25°C. Biologists presume that the Kern brook lamprey undergoes metamorphosis in fall and then spawns in gravelly substrate in the spring before dying.

• Links to Other Research

  N / A
• Watershed

  • Middle San Joaquin-Lower Chowchilla Watershed
  • Middle San Joaquin-Lower Merced-Lower Stanislaus Watershed
  • Mill Watershed
  • Tulare-Buena Vista Lakes Watershed
  • Upper Dry Watershed
  • Upper Kaweah Watershed
  • Upper King Watershed
  • Upper Merced Watershed