Least Brook lamprey ammocoete

A couple pics of a Least brook ammocoete. Figured I would snap a few photos before it disappeared for a year or more. Generally speaking once you have seen one Ammocoete you have seen them all so I've not made a habit of photographing them. For documentation and future reference on this site I've taken these pics.

In the future I'll discuss more about my personal experience in the husbandry, collection and biology of these unique creatures. This will first be an American currents article before it shows up online though ....

These particular Fish where generously given to me by Rob Criswell. I have previously not worked with this fish so I'm a bit excited about the opportunity to do so.
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 leastAmmocoete.jpg   55.02KB   0 downloads

Tickles me to death. Glad you are finding yourself smothered in lamprey Richard!

Tickles me to death. Glad you are finding yourself smothered in lamprey Richard!

I do love to be smothered in Lamprey...

This years field season out here though is really slow..Most stream temps seem to be lower than usual so I hope things pick up soon with warmer rains and air temps. I expected the Northern brooks and Silvers to already be on redds or at least moving aggressively toward them right now but I'm not seeing them either in active migration or under typical cover in pre-spawning locations in the areas I typically look at. I hate these late season years...

I do love to be smothered in Lamprey...

This years field season out here though is really slow..Most stream temps seem to be lower than usual so I hope things pick up soon with warmer rains and air temps. I expected the Northern brooks and Silvers to already be on redds or at least moving aggressively toward them right now but I'm not seeing them either in active migration or under typical cover in pre-spawning locations in the areas I typically look at. I hate these late season years...

That's really cool, thanks for sharing. Have you raised any ammocoetes to maturity yet? Whats they longest you have had them?

That's really cool, thanks for sharing. Have you raised any ammocoetes to maturity yet? Whats they longest you have had them?

I've raised a number of wild caught species from ammocoetus through metamorphosis and parasitic / spawning stages. Currently the ones I have had the longest have been incubating away for some 6 years now, These I'm pretty sure are Silver lamprey.

The ones I'm really waiting patiently on are some Northern brooks from a group I spawned about 2 years ago. I'm really hoping for a first generation captive spawning of these fish this coming year or next.