page_title: Brook lamprey
section_title: Description
hierarchical_section_title: Brook lamprey / Description
caption_attribution_description: English: Lampetra planeri
context_page_description: The brook lamprey is a small European lamprey species that exclusively inhabits freshwater environments. The species is related to, but distinct from, the North American western brook lamprey.
context_section_description: The brook lamprey is a common, non-parasitic species that ranges from North America to northern Europe. Adult brook lampreys measure from 12 to 14 cm (4.7 to 5.5 in). The body is highly elongated and dark blue or greenish above, lightening to yellowish off-white on the sides and pure white on the ventral side. Like all lampreys, these fish lack paired fins and possess a circular sucking disc instead of jaws, which is filled with blunt teeth. They have a single nostril and seven small gill openings on either side behind the eye. The brook lamprey can be told from the closely related river lamprey (Lampetra fluviatilis) by the fact that its two dorsal fins are more closely linked together.
caption: Close-up of a brook lamprey's anterior body.
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