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Lampreys / ˈ l æ m p r eɪ z / (sometimes inaccurately called lamprey eels) are a group of jawless fish comprising the order Petromyzontiformes / ˌ p ɛ t r oʊ m ɪ ˈ z ɒ n t ɪ f ɔːr m iː z /. The adult lamprey is characterized by a toothed, funnel-like sucking mouth.
Hagfish, of the class Myxini / m ɪ k ˈ s aɪ n aɪ / (also known as Hyperotreti) and order Myxiniformes / m ɪ k ˈ s ɪ n ɪ f ɔːr m iː z /, are eel-shaped jawless fish (occasionally called slime eels). Hagfish are the only known living animals that have a skull but no vertebral column, although they do have rudimentary vertebrae. [3]
The sea lamprey has an eel-like body without paired fins. Its mouth is jawless, round and sucker-like, and as wide or wider than the head; sharp teeth are arranged in many concentric circular rows around a sharp, rasp-like tongue. There are seven branchial or gill-like openings behind the eye. Sea lampreys are olive or brown-yellow on the ...
The first fish lineages belong to the Agnatha, or jawless fish. Early examples include Haikouichthys. During the late Cambrian, eel-like jawless fish called the conodonts, and small mostly armoured fish known as ostracoderms, first appeared. Most jawless fish are now extinct; but the extant lampreys may approximate
Cyclostomi, often referred to as Cyclostomata / s ɪ k l oʊ ˈ s t ɒ m ə t ə /, is a group of vertebrates that comprises the living jawless fishes: the lampreys and hagfishes.Both groups have jawless mouths with horny epidermal structures that function as teeth called ceratodontes, and branchial arches that are internally positioned instead of external as in the related jawed fishes. [1]
The eggs of adults are preyed on by various species of fish and crayfish. [8] Southern brook lampreys in the larval stage serve as prey for a wide range of fish and bird species. [8] Adult forms are preyed upon by larger fish species such as the Northern pike (E. lucius), perch species, the European chub (S. cephalus), and the mudpuppy (N ...
This makes the fish very unsavory to predators, and can even be used to clog the gills of predatory fish. Pacific hagfish can create large amounts of slime in just minutes. [7] The slime is notoriously difficult to remove from fishing gear and equipment, and has led to Pacific fishermen bestowing the nickname of 'slime eel' on the species. [8]
The term "eel" is also used for some other eel-shaped fish, such as electric eels (genus Electrophorus), swamp eels (order Synbranchiformes), and deep-sea spiny eels (family Notacanthidae). However, these other clades , with the exception of deep-sea spiny eels, whose order Notacanthiformes is the sister clade to true eels, evolved their eel ...