lamprey

(noun)

any long slender primitive eel-like freshwater and saltwater fish of the Petromyzontidae family, having a sucking mouth with rasping teeth, but no jaw

Related Terms

Examples of lamprey in the following topics:

  • Agnathans: Jawless Fishes

    • Hagfishes and lampreys are recognized as separate clades, primarily because lampreys are true vertebrates, whereas hagfishes are not.
    • Lampreys are morphologically similar to hagfishes and also lack paired appendages.
    • However, lampreys develop some vertebral elements as an adult.
    • As adults, lampreys are characterized by a toothed, funnel-like sucking mouth.
    • Lampreys live primarily in coastal and fresh waters.

  • The Evolution of Craniata and Vertebrata

    • A comparison of the genomes of a lancelet, tunicate, lamprey, fish, chicken, and human confirmed that two whole-genome duplications occurred in the early history of the Vertebrata subphylum.

  • Building Phylogenetic Trees

    • Vertebrata is a larger clade that also includes fish and lamprey.