Western brook lamprey | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Vertebrata |
Order: | Petromyzontiformes |
Family: | Petromyzontidae |
Genus: | Lampetra |
Species: | L. richardsoni |
Binomial name | |
Lampetra richardsoni Vladykov and Follett, 1965 |
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Synonyms | |
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The Western brook lamprey (Lampetra richardsoni) is a small (<18cm), widely distributed, non-parasitic species of jawless fish endemic to the freshwater coastal waterways of the western United States and Canada. Its range extends from the North American Pacific coast from Taku River, southern Alaska, to central California, including Vancouver Island, with major inland distributions in the Columbia and Sacramento-San Joaquin watersheds.
One endangered parasitic variety, the Morrison Creek Lamprey (Lampetra richardsoni var. marifuga), is unique to Morrison Creek, Vancouver Island, British Columbia.