The Kern brook lamprey (''Lampetra hubbsi'') is a species of

lamprey Lampreys (sometimes inaccurately called lamprey eels) are an ancient extant lineage of jawless fish of the order Petromyzontiformes , placed in the superclass Cyclostomata. The adult lamprey may be characterized by a toothed, funnel-like s ...

in the

Petromyzontidae The northern lampreys (Petromyzontidae) are a family of lampreys. Northern lampreys have the highest number of chromosomes (164–174) among vertebrates. Genera * '' Caspiomyzon'' * '' Entosphenus'' * ''Eudontomyzon'' * ''Ichthyomyzon'' * ''La ...

family

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to the United States. It is found on the east side of San Joaquin Valley, in lower Merced, Kaweah, Kings, and San Joaquin rivers in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. It can grow to up to around 14 centimeters, and is characterized by its grayish brown and white coloring, and black spots on its fins.

Description

''L. hubbsi'' is similar to other

s in that it has a thin eel body. Some of the morphological characteristics separating ''L. hubbsi'' from other lamprey species include SO lamina 2 cusps; 4 inner laterals unicuspid; IO lamina 5 cusps; posterials about 10 (unicuspid); velar tentacles 3; reduced number of myomeres. Not much is known about the biology of these lampreys.

Classification

Lamprey taxonomy can prove to be difficult because there are few morphological differences that can be observed. ''L. hubbsi'' was originally under the subgenus ''Entosphenus''. The genus ''

Lampetra ''Lampetra'' is a genus of lampreys in the subfamily Petromyzontinae. Species The currently recognized species in this genus are: * '' Lampetra aepyptera'' ( C. C. Abbott, 1860) (Least brook lamprey) * '' Lampetra alavariensis'' Mateus, Alves, ...

'' comprises the subgenera ''Entosphenus'', ''Lethenteron'', and ''Lampetra''. Species of the ''Entosphenus'' subgenus formed a tight-knit clade that was very distinct from the other two subgenera under the genus ''Lampetra''. However, molecular evidence helped lead to the determination that the Kern Brook Lamprey should be under the genus ''Lampetra'' instead, as ''Lampetra hubbsi'' clustered with species from the ''Lampetra subgenus'' from the west coast of North America.

Fecundity

''L. hubbsi'' was determined to have a higher fecundity in comparison to another nonparasitic lamprey species, '' Eudontomyzon hellenicus'', also known as the Macedonia brook lamprey, which is critically endangered. The mean absolute fecundity of ''L. hubbsi'' was twice the amount of the mean absolute fecundity of ''Eudontomyzon hellenicus''. The absolute fecundity of the lampreys was determined by direct counting.

Threats

Some of the threats that the Kern brook lamprey faces includes the loss of habitat and being degraded by dams, channelization, and diversions. This has caused

population fragmentation Population fragmentation is a form of population segregation. It is often caused by habitat fragmentation. Causes of Fragmentation Fragmentation can be the cause of natural forces or human actions, although in modern times, human activity is the ...

and these lamprey also face a narrowly restricted range, poisoning associated with fisheries management, and impacts of fish that are not native.

References

Fauna of the United States Petromyzontidae Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Fish described in 1976 {{jawless-fish-stub