12 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



only about half as long as the second dorsal. The vent is far 

 back, opposite the origin of the second dorsal. 



The specimen described, number 10654 in the U. S. National 

 Museum collection, is 28 inches long. 



The sea lamprey or lamprey eel inhabits the north Atlantic,, 

 ascending streams to spawn and sometimes becoming land- 

 locked. In some interior waters of New York the landlocked 

 form has received the name, unicolor, of De Kay. The 

 species ranges southward on our coast to Virginia. In the Dela- 

 ware, Susquehanna and their tributaries this is a common fish. 

 Its larval form, which is blind and toothless, is extremelj 

 abundant in muddy sandflats near the mouths of small streams^ 

 and is a very important bait for hook and line fishing. 



The sea lamprey grows to a length of 3 feet. It is dark brown> 

 in color, mottled with black and white. In the breeding season in- 

 spring the males have a high fleshy ridge in front of the dorsal. 

 The spawning is believed to take place in May or June. The 

 eels cling to the rocks by means of their suctorial mouths and 

 the eggs are deposited in shallow water on a rough bottom 

 where the current is swift. Some observers state that they 

 make nests by heaping up stones in a circle and deposit the^ 

 eggs under the stones. The ovaries are large, but the eggs are- 

 very small. 



The food of the lamprey is chiefly animal matter and the fish 

 is somewhat of a parasite, burrowing into the side of shad,, 

 sturgeon and some other species. The teeth are adapted for 

 this method of feeding. The tooth-bearing bone of the upper 

 side of the mouth contains two teeth which are placed close 

 together. On the bone corresponding with the lower jaw there 

 are seven or nine stout cusps. There are numerous teeth 

 around the disk, the first row on the side of the mouth con- 

 taining bicuspid teeth; the others are simple. The tooth on 

 the front of the tongue has a deep median groove. The species 

 is adapted for fastening itself to other fishes and extracting 

 from them their blood. 



