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: Mordaciidae
Genus: Mordacia
Species: M. lapicida – M. mordax – M. praecox
Name
Mordacia Gray, 1851
Mordacia mordax
Mordacia is a genus of lamprey, the sole genus of the family Mordaciidae, also known as the southern topeyed lampreys.
The family Mordaciidae is most closely related to the lamprey family Geotriidae, which has a similar Gondwanan distribution, and both families diverged during the Early Cretaceous. Together, their common ancestor diverged from the Petromyzontidae during the Middle Jurassic.[1]
They are found in Chile and Australia; the Chilean and one Australian species (M. lapicida and M. mordax) are anadromous fish that spawn in Pacific-draining river basins and mature in the ocean, while the other Australian species (M. praecox) spends its whole life in freshwater. Phylogenetic evidence indicates ancient divergences within this genus, with the Chilean and Australian lineages diverging from one another during the Late Cretaceous (100 mya), although both Australian species only diverged from each other during the Pleistocene.[1]
Species
There are currently three recognized species in this genus:[2]
Mordacia lapicida (J. E. Gray, 1851) (Chilean lamprey)
Mordacia mordax (J. Richardson, 1846) (Australian lamprey)
Mordacia praecox Potter, 1968 (Australian brook lamprey)
References
Brownstein, Chase Doran; Near, Thomas J. (2023-01-23). "Phylogenetics and the Cenozoic radiation of lampreys". Current Biology. 33 (2): 397–404.e3. Bibcode:2023CBio...33E.397B. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2022.12.018. ISSN 0960-9822. PMID 36586410. S2CID 255278945.
Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2013). Species of Mordacia in FishBase. April 2013 version.
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