ABSTRACT
An experimental mesocosm study suggested larval sea lamprey Petromyzon marinus detect and respond to an alarm cue released by dead adult conspecifics. Larvae exhibited a reduced tendency to move downstream when exposed to the cue and were less likely to move under continuous v. pulsed exposure. These findings support the hypothesis that short-term exposure to the alarm cue would probably result in retraction into the burrow, consistent with the blind, cryptic lifestyle of the larval P. marinus.
Subject(s)
Avoidance Learning , Petromyzon , Animals , Cues , LarvaABSTRACT
Reported here are several deviations (n = 15; 1·96%) from typical morphology in a large sample (n = 767) of European brook lamprey Lampetra planeri from a single population in the Loch Lomond catchment; this includes one specimen bearing a true anal fin. A brief review of petromyzontid teratology is provided.
Subject(s)
Lampreys/abnormalities , Animals , Lakes , Scotland , TeratogenesisABSTRACT
Lamprey-induced scarring of the nationally rare Coregonus lavaretus, a known host of a freshwater-resident population of European river lamprey Lampetra fluviatilis, was found to have declined precipitously since the establishment of several non-native fishes in Loch Lomond. Evidence presented in this study points to the possibility that L. fluviatilis in this lake may have altered its trophic ecology in response to the negative impact that non-native species, in particular ruffe Gymnocephalus cernuus, have had on their favoured host.
Subject(s)
Lampreys/physiology , Perciformes/parasitology , Salmonidae/parasitology , Animals , Introduced Species , Lakes , Population Dynamics , ScotlandABSTRACT
Interspecific sneak male mating tactics between paired lamprey species are described for the first time. Although alternative mating tactics among petromyzontids have been described previously, including intraspecific sneak males, the presence of sneak male tactics between parasitic and non-parasitic forms suggests that high levels of gene flow between putative lamprey species could remain high, despite large body size discrepancies.