Western brook lamprey

Western brook lamprey
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

The Western brook lamprey (Lampetra richardsoni) is a small (<18cm), widely distributed, non-parasitic^[1] 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.^[2]

One endangered^[3] parasitic variety, the Morrison Creek Lamprey (Lampetra richardsoni var. marifuga), is unique to Morrison Creek, Vancouver Island, British Columbia.

References

1. Vladykov, Vadim D. & W. I. Follett (1965). "Lampetra richardsoni, A New Nonparasitic Species of Lamprey (Petromyzonidae) from Western North America". Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada. 22 (1): 139–158. doi:10.1139/f65-013.
2. Hammerson, G.A., & M.Ormes. "Lampetra richardsoni". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved 8 June 2016.
3. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC). "COSEWIC Assessment and Status Report on the Western Brook Lamprey Lampetra richardsoni Morrison Creek Population in Canada" (PDF). Species at Risk Public Registry. Retrieved 8 June 2016.