Ichthyomyzon unicuspis
FAMILY
Petromyzonidae
TAXONOMY
Ichthiomyzon unicuspis Hubbs and Trautman, 1937.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
None known.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Total length 15.3 in (39 cm). Eel-like, scaleless, lack jaws, have funnel-like mouths and cartilaginous skeletons. Body grayish brown in color. Gonad in both sexes is unpaired and median, and is suspended from the dorsal wall of the body cavity by a mesentery containing connective tissue. Considered the most primitive Ichthyomyzon species.
DISTRIBUTION
Hudson Bay and Great Lakes regions, as well as the St. Lawrence river system.
HABITAT
Heads of freshwater streams around the Great Lakes and Hudson Bay regions, as well as the St. Lawrence.
BEHAVIOR
Anadromous; returns to fresh waters to reproduce, during which time it carries out spawning behaviors, including nest building and fanning behavior.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Larvae feed on microscopic plankton, algae, and detritus filtered from mud. During the parasitic phase, adult attaches to a host fish and extracts blood and/or muscle tissue. Does not feed after migrating upstream to spawn in fresh water.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Female releases her eggs, which are fertilized by released sperm from the male. The adults die shortly after spawning.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Not listed by the IUCN.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
Research on the species can provide insight into human biology and perhaps yield medicinal applications.
