Western Brook Lamprey (Lampetra richardsoni): residence description
Document information
Additional information:
For more information on the Species at Risk Act (SARA), or for additional information on species at risk, please visit the Species at Risk Public Registry.
Recommended citation:
Fisheries and Oceans Canada. 2022. Residence description for the Western Brook Lamprey – Morrison Creek Population (Lampetra richardsoni) in Canada. Species at Risk Act Residence Description Series. Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Ottawa. 2 pp.
1 Introduction
SARA states that
“No person shall damage or destroy the residence of one or more individuals of a wildlife species that is listed as an endangered species or a threatened species, or that is listed as an extirpated species if a recovery strategy has recommended the reintroduction of the species into the wild in Canada.” [section 33]
Also, SARA defines “residence” as:
“a dwelling-place, such as a den, nest, or other similar areas or place, that is occupied or habitually occupied by one or more individuals during all or part of their life cycles, including breeding, rearing, staging, wintering, feeding or hibernating.” [subsection 2(1)]
Sections 2 and 3 below provide a description of a residence for the Western Brook Lamprey – Morrison Creek Population (hereinafter referred to as “Morrison Creek Lamprey”). The information in these sections was adapted from the “Action Plan for the Western Brook Lamprey – Morrison Creek Population (Lampetra richardsoni) in Canada” (DFO 2018). The geographic distribution of the Morrison Creek Lamprey is described in the action plan for this species (DFO 2018).
2 Structure, form and investment
Morrison Creek Lamprey (Lampetra richardsoni) are known to have one type of residence: a nest. Both sexes of Morrison Creek Lamprey participate in building a nest before spawning, though males do much of the work (Beamish et al. 1999; COSEWIC 2010). Lamprey excavate a small depression by vibrating their bodies and carrying individual pebbles short distances using their oral disc (COSEWIC 2010). Specific locations of Morrison Creek Lamprey nests are not known; however, spawned-out lamprey and nests have been found in areas of Morrison Creek with low water flow and hard substrate covered with small pebbles (Joy Wade pers. comm.; DFO 2018). Western Brook Lamprey nests are typically constructed in sand and gravel substrate (< 2 cm diameter) near the upstream end of a riffle, in the downstream portion of pools (McPhail 2007; COSEWIC 2010). The average oral disc diameter of spawning Morrison Creek Lamprey is 1.01 cm (Beamish and Withler 1986), therefore the availability of gravel approximately 1 cm in diameter may influence nest location.
3 Occupancy and life-cycle function
Morrison Creek Lamprey begin spawning in April. Eggs are deposited, fertilized, and incubated in nests prior to hatching (National Recovery Team for Morrison Creek Lamprey 2007; COSEWIC 2010). Dying adults have been captured, postspawning, in downstream traps into July and August. Moreover, a laboratory study found that the majority of Western Brook Lamprey eggs from Washington State hatched within 12 to 30 days (Meeuwig et al. 2005 in COSEWIC 2010), further suggesting that lamprey nests may be in use between April and July.
In summary, adult lamprey of both sexes make an investment in creating nests, which represent discrete dwelling places with the functional capacity to support the essential life-cycle processes of spawning and egg incubation. As such, nests are considered a residence for Morrison Creek Lamprey during the time they are under construction by adults and while eggs incubate in them throughout April to July.
4 References
- Beamish, R.J. and R.E. Withler. 1986. A polymorphic population of lampreys that may produce parasitic and nonparasitic varieties. Pp. 31-49. in T. Uyeno, R. Arai, T. Taniuchi, and K. Matsuura (eds.). Indo-Pacific Fish Biology. Proceedings of the Second International Conference on Indo-Pacific Fishes, Ichthyological Society of Japan, Tokyo.
- Beamish, R.J., J. H. Youson, and L.A. Chapman. 1999. COSEWIC status report on the Morrison Creek lamprey, Lampetra richardsoni, in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Ottawa. vii + 14 pp.
- COSEWIC. 2010. COSEWIC assessment and status report on the western brook lamprey Lamptera richardsoni, Morrison Creek population, in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Ottawa. x + 27 pp.
- DFO. 2018. Action Plan for the Western Brook Lamprey – Morrison Creek Populations (Lampetra richardsoni) in Canada. Species at Risk Act Action Plan Series. Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Ottawa, v + 39 pp.
- McPhail, J.D. 2007. The freshwater fishes of British Columbia. University of Alberta Press, Edmonton. xxiii + 620 p.
- Meeuwig, M.H., J.M. Bayer and J.G. Seelye. 2005. Effects of temperature on survival and development of early life stage pacific and western brook lamprey. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 134:19-27.
- National Recovery Team for Morrison Creek Lamprey. 2007. Recovery Strategy for the Morrison Creek Lamprey (Lampetra richardsoni var. marifuga) in Canada. Species at Risk Act Recovery Strategy Series, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Ottawa. v + 24 pp.