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Cephalaspidomorphi (lampreys) > Petromyzontiformes (Lampreys) > Petromyzontidae (Northern lampreys) > Lampetrinae
Etymology: Caspiomyzon: Composed from Caspian sea + Greek,myzo = to suckle (Ref. 45335); wagneri: Specific name refers to the Russian zoologist Nikolai Petrovich Vagner.

Environment / Climate / Range Ecology

Marine; freshwater; brackish; demersal; anadromous (Ref. 51243). Temperate; ? - 23°C (Ref. 59043); 59°N - 35°N, 42°E - 58°E (Ref. 59043)

Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: L_m ?, range 19 - 46 cm
Max length : 55.3 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 12275); common length : 36.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 12275); common length :37 cm TL (female); max. published weight: 206 g (Ref. 12275); max. reported age: 6 years (Ref. 59043)

Short description Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 0. With many small teeth in regular backward-curved radiating rows. All teeth are low, blunt and button-shaped. The supraoral lamina is short, with one, rarely two closely connected teeth. The infraoral lamina have 4-6 large, blunt teeth. The width of the oral disc is less than the body width. Ammocoetes larvae have 53-68 trunk myomeres.

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Introductions | Faunafri

Eurasia: endemic to the Caspian Sea drainage. Construction projects along the rivers entering the Caspian Sea have had a very negative impact. Very rare now in the Volga river (Ref. 12275). Migrates to uppermost tributaries of Volga (Ref. 59043). Reported to migrate for spawning to the Sura River and its tributaries (the Penza, Aiva, and Inza rivers) as far as Penza Ciry in the 1920s (Ref. 58030).

Non-parasitic lamprey. Adults occur in the sea and spawn in reaches of rivers and streams with strong current (Ref. 59043). Ammocoetes larvae reach up to 13 mm TL and get up to 3 years old. They live in bottom deposits and feed on diatoms and detritus. In the intestines of adults, only the remains of algae and higher plants are found. However, they may also feed on dead fish and are known to attach themselves to trout, presumably for transport. A 22% reduction in total length occurs from the pre-spawning to the spawning period. Adults die after spawning. The flesh is reported to be poisonous to eat (ichthyosarcotoxic) and must be treated before consumption. Until 1868, all catches were dried and used as candles or for production of oil. Only thereafter it was used as food for humans, and is now considered a valuable and delicious fish.

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Holcík, J., 1986. Caspiomyzon wagneri (Kessler, 1870). p. 119-142. In J. Holcik (ed.) The Freshwater fishes of Europe. Vol.1, Part I, Petromyzontiformes.

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 90363)

Near Threatened (NT)

Threat to humans

Poisonous to eat (Ref. 4537)

Human uses

Fisheries: commercial; aquaculture: experimental

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Estimates of some properties based on empirical models

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82805): PD₅₀ = 1.0000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].

Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00114 (-0.07961 - 0.08189), b=2.94 (2.89 - 2.99), based on LWR estimates for this species (Ref. 93245).

Trophic Level (Ref. 69278): 2.0 ±0.00 se; Based on food items.

Resilience (Ref. 69278): Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (tm=tmax=4-6).

Vulnerability (Ref. 59153): Low to moderate vulnerability (29 of 100) .

Price category (Ref. 80766): Unknown.

Caspiomyzon wagneri (Kessler, 1870)