Project name: Lethenteron camtschaticum

Description: The Arctic lamprey (Lethenteron camtschaticum, also known as the Japanese lamprey) is a jawless fish native to circumpolar Arctic regions where it inhabits freshwater rivers and lakes near the coast. Lampreys and hagfishes make up the cyclostomes, the only jawless vertebrates and the sister group of living jawed vertebrates (the gnathostomes). Because these groups differ significantly in morphology and physiology, studies of the Arctic lamprey will shed light on our understanding of vertebrate evolution and diversity.

Last updated: 2013-03-07