Miller Lake lamprey

Miller Lake lamprey
Conservation status
Data Deficient (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Cephalaspidomorphi
Order:	Petromyzontiformes
Family:	Petromyzontidae
Genus:	Lampetra
Species:	L. minima
Binomial name
Lampetra minima (C. E. Bond & Kan, 1973)

The Miller Lake lamprey (Lampetra minima) is a species of fish in the Petromyzontidae family. It is endemic to the United States. Its natural habitat is the Miller Lake drainage.

This species is of special interest for two reasons: 1) it has an extremely limited distribution, with all known animals contained within a single small drainage system^[1],and 2) it is the smallest known parasitic lamprey in the world^[2]. The Miller lake lamprey was presumed extinct in 1958, after state fishery managers attempted to eradicate the lamprey from the lake because it was feeding on the introduced trout ^[3]. The known larval streams for this lamprey were treated with lampricide^[4] and a barrier was erected to prevent adults from entering to spawn^[5].

The Miller Lake Lamprey was presumed to be extinct until 1992 when it was recollected. Continued collection efforts yielded more animals and in 2000 the group published a paper on the rediscription of this lamprey^[6]. In an attempt to restore and protect the Miller lake lamprey, restoration efforts to remove the barrier originally have been carried out, and surveys are done regularly to establish an understanding of the population's health ^[7]. Understanding how evolutionary forces could drive speciation of a dwarf parasitic species of lamprey is a potential new and exciting area of research for scientists.

Source

1. ^ http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/org_nws/nwsci%20journal%20articles/1981%20files/issue%201/v55%20p70%20kan%20and%20bond.pdf
2. ^ Miller, R. R., J. D. Williams, and J. E. Williams. 1989. Extinctions of North American Fishes During the Past Century. Fisheries 14:22-38.
3. ^ Miller, R. R., J. D. Williams, and J. E. Williams. 1989. Extinctions of North American Fishes During the Past Century. Fisheries 14:22-38.
4. ^ http://www.dfw.state.or.us/fish/CRP/miller_lake_lamprey_plan_complete.asp
5. ^ http://www.dfw.state.or.us/fish/CRP/docs/miller_lake_lamprey/miller_lake_conservation_plan_final_061005.pdf
6. ^ Lorion, C. M., D. F. Markle, S. B. Reid, and M. F. Docker. 2000. Redescription of the Presumed-Extinct Miller Lake Lamprey, Lampetra minima. Copeia 2000:1019-1028.
7. ^ http://www.dfw.state.or.us/fish/CRP/docs/miller_lake_lamprey/miller_lake_lamprey_surveys_0804.pdf

• Hilton-Taylor, C. 2004. Lampetra minima. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 3 August 2007.