ATTN: POLYPTERUS

[Polypterus]

Did you get either email I sent polypterus ?

Yes I did get those.. Sorry I'm a bit behind in answering e-mails but I did get them and the pics look very good..

I'll answer one of your questions here:

In regards to a lateral line, Lamprey really do not have one in the since that "higher" fishes do. What they do have is a series of sensory pores that function pretty much in the same way by sensing pressure increase and decrease along the body of the fish.. You can actually see these pores as the Blackish brown spots in the pic above.

 

[cichlidfinder]

well it turns out she was a female. I noticed an obvious body swelling. She dug several pits down to the bottom glass in the substrate. This morning I found several thousand unfertilized eggs in the tank.

Poor girl is at the end of her life cycle.

 

[Polypterus]

well it turns out she was a female. I noticed an obvious body swelling. She dug several pits down to the bottom glass in the substrate. This morning I found several thousand unfertilized eggs in the tank.

Poor girl is at the end of her life cycle.

She dug the pits???? where these just her trying to bury herself or purposely moving and piling the gravel in a somewhat organized manner? Can't say I've seen a female Castaneus do that before.

And yep shes done her job now, so unfortunately she's not going to be around much longer...

Edit: BTW if it is OK with you I'd like to use some of your photos for an Exhibit I'm putting together on Native Lampreys and their conservation in the great lakes.

 

[cichlidfinder]

she may have just been swimming around but the substrate was in definate piles.

Let me send you ones you can use with my watermark on them ok. I mean I have no problem with you using them I just want my credit. LOL

 

[Polypterus]

she may have just been swimming around but the substrate was in definate piles.

Let me send you ones you can use with my watermark on them ok. I mean I have no problem with you using them I just want my credit. LOL

Yeah that will work fine... Thanks

 

[demjor19]

awesome read and great pics! i wish i would have seen this thread sooner, but i have been very busy lately. i have been fishing my entire life and cant say ive ever come across a lamprey.

 

[cichlidfinder]

Can you email me again. I lost yours somewhere. I need to get better organized. lol

I would like to snail mail you a disc with the full sized pictures. If you try to print these small internet friendly pics they won't come out very well. I won't even watermark them.

I have no problem with any use of them for educational conservation or scientific purposes. Just make sure I get my photo credit. Although I'm disappointed in this photo study. They are harder to photograph than it appears. I didn't have a larger tank available so it kind of got pushed to a bad spot in the fishroom.

 

[cichlidfinder]

well here she is just near the end. She was obviously full of eggs.