The American brook lamprey (Lampetra appendix), is non-parasitic, and their disc-like mouths contain poorly developed teeth, useless for attaching to a host.

Physical description

Blind and wormlike as ammocoetes or larvae, the American brook lamprey metamorphoses into a brown cylinder, almost 8 inches long. Adults have a dark back, pale belly, yellowish fins and a dark blotch at the end of the tail. Their skin is smooth and leathery and without scales. Brook lamprey are only found in clear, cold brooks and small streams.

Life cycle

Spawning takes place in spring. The males (aided by females) construct small nests by picking up pebbles with their mouths and moving them to form the rims of shallow depressions. The sticky eggs are deposited in the nest and adhere to the sand and gravel. Adult brook lampreys die after spawning.

When they first hatch, young lamprey are called ammocoetes. Ammocoetes burrow into the sand and silt where they live for 3-7 years, feeding on microscopic plant and animal life and detritus

Detritus

Detritus is a biological term used to describe dead or waste organic material.Detritus may also refer to:* Detritus , a geological term used to describe the particles of rock produced by weathering...

. Shortly before spawning, ammocoetes metamorphose

Métamorphose

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into sexually mature adult fish. Adult brook lamprey cannot eat, since they have a nonfunctional intestine, and only live for four to six months.