Caspiomyzon wagneri

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Agnatha
Superclassis: Cyclostomi
Classis: Petromyzonti
Ordo: Petromyzontiformes

Familia: Petromyzontidae
Genus: Caspiomyzon
Species: Caspiomyzon wagneri
Name

Caspiomyzon Kessler, 1870
Vernacular names
Deutsch: Kaspineunauge
English: Caspian lamprey
español: lamprea del Caspio

The Caspian lamprey, Caspiomyzon wagneri, is a species of lamprey native to the Caspian Sea, and a member of the Petromyzontidae family. Eudontomyzon hellenicus and E. graecus (if separate from E. hellenicus) also possibly belong in this genus.[3] This species is a non-parasitic lamprey that feeds on animal carcasses.

Description

The Caspian lamprey is a slim-bodied, eel-like fish that grows to a length of about 40 cm (16 in). The longest recorded specimen was 55 cm (22 in) long and weighed 206 g (7.3 oz). Like other lampreys, it has no jaws, but it has a round oral disc surrounding the mouth. Inside this it has several radiating rows of tiny, backward-facing teeth. There is a single nostril near the eyes. There are no gill covers and the seven gill openings are visible just behind the head. The fish has no scales or paired fins, but has two elongated dorsal fins, the hindmost of which nearly joins onto the small tail fin. The Caspian lamprey is a silvery-grey colour.[4]
Distribution

The Caspian lamprey is an anadromous fish which spends its adult life in the Caspian Sea and migrates up the Volga, Sura, and other rivers to spawn. It was at one time a common fish caught in nets and fish traps in the lower Volga for extracting fish oil and making candles and later for human consumption. In the early 1900s, 15 to 30 million fish were harvested annually from the lower Volga. It is now an uncommon fish because its migratory routes have been disrupted by dams and construction projects and it can no longer reach its spawning grounds.[5]
Status

The Caspian lamprey is listed as "Near Threatened" in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Damming of rivers in the mid-20th century has caused it to be cut off from its traditional spawning sites, but new sites have been found below the dams. The chief threat more recently has been the drying up of these streams caused by drought.[1]
References

Freyhof, J.; Kottelat, M. (2008). "Caspiomyzon wagneri". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008: e.T135706A4187207. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T135706A4187207.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
Van Der Laan, Richard; Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ronald (11 November 2014). "Family-group names of Recent fishes". Zootaxa. 3882 (1): 1–230. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3882.1.1. PMID 25543675.
Froese, R.; Pauly, D. (2017). "Petromyzontidae". FishBase version (02/2017). Retrieved 18 May 2017.
Maitland, Peter S. (2000). Freshwater Fish of Britain and Europe. Octopus Publishing Group. pp. 62–64. ISBN 0-600-59690-7.
"Caspiomyzon wagneri (Kessler, 1870)". FishBase. 2012. Retrieved 2012-09-16.