William Yarrell (1836) in "A History of British Fishes":
Generic Characters. -- Body smooth, elongated, cylindrical, like that of an Eel ; the head rounded ; the mouth circular, armed with hard tooth-like processes; the lip forming a continuous circle round the mouth; seven apertures on each side of the neck, leading to seven branchial cells ; no pectoral or ventral fins; the skin towards the tail extending in a fold from the body both above and below, forms dorsal, anal, and caudal fins.
THE last family of the cartilaginous or chondropterygian fishes contains the Lampreys, and some cylindrical fishes very closely allied to them. These fishes are, in reference to their skeleton, and in some other respects, the lowest in the scale of organization among vertebrated animals. The form and peculiarities of the mouth will be best understood by a reference to the vignette; the figure on the left hand of which shows the flexible lip concealing the mouth; the figure on the right hand represents the rounded mouth, the small and numerous tubercular teeth, and the central aperture leading by the throat to the stomach. The situation of the branchial cells, and the gills or branchić within these cells as they exist in the common River Lamprey, or Lampern, as it is also called, are shown in the right-hand figure at the bottom of page 326: and the water obtains access and egress by seven small apertures on each side of the neck, by the mouth of the fish, or by an aperture through the upper part of the head which communicates with the pharynx, and which communication is distinctly seen in a divided head. The Lampreys, like the Sharks and Rays, have no swimming-bladder ; and being also without pectoral fins, are usually seen near the bottom. To save themselves from the constant muscular exertion which is necessary to prevent them being carried along by the current of the water, they attach themselves by the mouth to stones or rocks, and were in consequence called Petromyzon, or Stone-sucker ; while the circular form of the mouth induced the name of Cyclostomes, or Round-mouthed Fishes, which was bestowed upon them by M. Dumeril. In reference to the respiratory apparatus in the species of .this genus, Mr. Owen has remarked,* that "when the Lamprey is firmly attached, as is commonly the case, to foreign bodies by means of its suctorial mouth, it is obvious that no water can pass by that aperture from the pharynx to the gills ; it is therefore alternately received and expelled by the external apertures. If a Lamprey, while so attached to the side of a vessel, be held with one series of apertures out of the water, the respiratory currents are seen to enter by the submerged orifices, and, after traversing the corresponding sacs and the pharynx, to pass through the opposite branchić, and to be forcibly ejected therefrom by the exposed orifices. The same mode of respiration must take place in the Mixine," (a species of this family to be described hereafter,) "while its head is buried in the flesh of its prey. The cyclostomous fishes thus present an obvious affinity to the Cephalopoda, inasmuch as the branchial currents are independent of the actions of the parts concerned in deglutition." The intestinal canal is small, and extends in a straight line along the abdomen to the anal aperture without any convolution. The Lampreys are oviparous, spawning late in the spring; the roe escaping, in both sexes, by a small membranous sheath, which has internally at its base five apertures, one leading upward to the intestine, one to each kidney, and one to each lateral cavity of the abdomen. The Marine Lamprey, which from its mottled appearance was called P. maculosus by Artedi, has a very extensive geographical range. It is found in the Mediterranean, and from thence northwards in most of the rivers of Europe as far as Scandinavia, during the spring. Professor Reinhardt includes it among the fishes of Iceland, and our countryman Pennant gives it a place in his Arctic Zoology. From a description and figure in the Natural History of the Fishes of Massachusets, by Dr. Smith of Boston, this fish appears to be common in the rivers of North America, attaining a large size in those of the more southern states, but not exceeding seventeen or twenty inches in length in a high northern latitude. Dr. Mitchell also includes this species among his fishes of New York. It is rather common during spring and summer in some of the rivers on the southern coast of England, particularly the Severn, and is found in smaller numbers in several of the rivers of Scotland and Ireland about the same period of the year. I have received specimens of large size from the Severn in April and May, during which months it ascends that river to a great distance from the sea for the purpose of depositing its spawn. At this time it is considered in perfection as food, and considerable quantities are prepared in various ways for the table: the potted Lampreys and Lamperns of Worcester are in high estimation. A few are caught in the Thames almost every year, up which river it travels notwithstanding all the numerous and various obstacles which the port of London presents. I am indebted to my friend Mr. Broderip for a note of one taken in June 1884, and another in the same month of 1885, as high up the Thames as Sunbury Weir. A fisherman saw the Lamprey, and struck at it with his punt pole, and supposed he hit it, as the fish rose to the surface and was taken as it was swimming along. The haunt of this Marine Lamprey at Sunbury is a little above the church, and nearly opposite the vicarage, in a place called the Church Deep. In Scotland, the appearance of the Lamprey in the fresh water is rather later in the year than in the rivers of the south. Sir William Jardine says, "They ascend our rivers to breed about the end of June, and remain until the beginning of August. They are not furnished with any elongation of the jaw, afforded to most of our fresh-water fish, to form the receiving furrows at this important season ; but the want is supplied by their sucker-like mouth, by which they individually remove each stone. Their power is immense. Stones of a very large size are transported, and a large furrow is soon formed. The P. marinus remain in pairs, two on each spawning place; and while there employed, retain themselves affixed by the mouth to a large stone." After the spawning season is over, the flesh of the Lamprey, like that of other fish, loses for a time its firmness and other good qualities, and the weakened fish makes its way back to the sea, to recruit its wasted condition. The food of the Lamprey consists generally of any soft animal matter; and in the sea it is known to attack other fishes even of large size, by fastening upon them, and with its numerous small rasp-like teeth eating away the soft parts down to the bone. It is not very often caught while it remains at sea. This species usually measures from twenty to twenty-eight inches in length ; the head is rounded ; the form of the body long and cylindrical, slightly compressed towards the tail ; on the top of the head, rather before and between the eyes, is an external aperture, which if examined with a blunt probe is found to pass downward and backward, opening into a tube on a line with the internal orifice of the first branchial sac : along each outside of the neck are seven rounded apertures, leading to as many branchial cells lined with a membrane constructed like that of the gills in fishes ; each of these cells has an internal opening into a tube which is closed by a car-tilaginous pericardium at the bottom, but communicates up-wards with the mouth: the lips surrounding the mouth, and the numerous small teeth within, have been already referred to : on the lower third portion of the body are two distinct membranous dorsal fins, the second of which is the most elevated, the edges of both convex ; a continuation of this membrane round the extreme fleshy portion of the tail forms a caudal fin, and a narrow slip passing upwards on the under side forms an anal fin. The skin is perfectly smooth; the colour of the body olive brown, mottled and spotted on the back and sides with darker green and dark brown; the margins of the fins inclining to reddish brown ; the irides golden yellow. In slowly-running water, the Lamprey swims with a lateral undulating motion of the body, assisted by its fins: where the current is rapid, it makes successive plunges forward, attaching itself quickly to any fixed substance that offers to secure the advantage gained. The figure of the fish at the head of this subject was taken from an excellent drawing made by Mrs. Ley. Pennant states that it has been an old custom for the city of Gloucester annually to present his Majesty with a Lamprey pie, covered with a large raised crust.
* Descriptive and Illustrated Catalogue of the Physiological Series of Comparative Anatomy contained in the Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons in London, vol. ii. page 80.
Frank Buckland (1880) in "Natural History of British Fishes":
(Petromyzon marinus)
Local names: Sea Lamprey, Lambereel, Ramper-eel, Spotted Lamprey, Spanker-eel, Say-nay. German : Die Lamprete, See Lamprete, Meerpricke, Wasserunke. Danish : Havlamprete. French : La Lamproie de Mer. ltalian: Lamprea marina.
MY friend Mr. J. K. Lord has embodied in an article in Land and Water, July 13, 1867, the following information on lampreys, and I shall therefore quote it in its integrity. “The Lamprey belongs to the second order of fishes (Cyclostomata), or in other words, round-mouthed fishes. This order contains only two families -- firstly the lampreys, and secondly the group Myxinidć; the Myxine glutinosa is well known to fishermen as the ‘hag.’ The lamprey (Petromyzon, which means stone-sucker) is decidedly an ugly fish and very reptilian in look. It has a tough, scaleless, mottled skin, and is perfectly devoid of both pectoral and ventral fins. A long fleshy fold of the skin runs round the hinder end of the body, but having no true rays it can hardly be called a fin. The skeleton is entirely cartilaginous ; there are no ribs or other appendages, and the skull is quite rudimentary. The mouth is a singular affair, not unlike the large end of a funnel, dotted all over with small hook-like teeth. Any living thing caught in this formidable trap would stand but a sorry chance of ever getting out again. The breathing apparatus is extremely curious, and wonderfully adapted to fulfil the purposes for which it is intended. Instead of gills, as in ordinary fishes, the breathing organs in lampreys are in the shape of tiny sacs, the inner surfaces of which are thickly covered with a perfect network of, blood-vessels. There are seven of these sacs on each side of the fishes body placed near the head, and each sac communicates externally with the water by a separate orifice. In describing these curious breathing-holes, Professor Owen says : ‘When the lamprey is firmly attached, as is commonly the case, to foreign bodies by means of its suctorial mouth, it is obvious that no water can pass by that aperture from the pharynx to the gills ; it is therefore alternately received and expelled by the external aperture.’ The water, besides gaining admission by these seven canals to the bronchial sacs, is let in by the mouth, if the animal so wills it, or by a round hole observable on the top of the head. This aperture has a direct communication with the pharynx. The habit of the lamprey is to fasten itself firmly to large stones or rocks by its sucker-like mouth, and it is said by some writers that they likewise fix themselves on to the bodies of other fish, and devour them whilst they are alive. This statement we must be permitted to doubt ; the food of the lamprey is generally believed to consist of aquatic larvć and molluscs. “This fish is clearly not held in such high repute in these days as it was in bygone times, for there are several curious traditions relating to civic feasts in which the lamprey constituted an important dish, as bearing reference to some ancient customs connected with river fisheries. We also learn that King Henry I. came to an untimely end by a too full repast of lamprey ; this in no way proves the fish to be unwholesome ; the king probably ate too much. In Germany lampreys are cooked in earthenware jars with vinegar and spices, just in the same manner as pilchards are ‘marinated’ or ‘potted’ in Cornwall, and thus preserved lamprey constitutes an article of export.” Lampreys are considered great delicacies in the London market, and during the London season they may be frequently seen on the slabs of our principal fish merchants. Mr. Fitch, the ever-willing and obliging foreman of my friend Mr. Thos. Grove, fish merchant, Charing Cross, tells me that , the season begins soon after the salmon, about March, and ends in July. They principally come from the Severn, Thames, also from Scotland. Now (June) they are getting in roe; the average size is from one-and-a-half pounds to three pounds ; they prefer the middle size of two pounds’ weight. They are not in the market in winter. The lamprey, although he looks a slow mover, yet is a very quick swimmer, and there are a good many in the Loire and Rhone. On the Loire, as at Gloucester, they make them into pies, and are said to be exceedingly good. Lampreys have an extraordinary vitality when taken out of the water. The head and breathing apparatus is well worthy the study of comparative anatomists. The teeth will be found to be simply cones of a hors-like substance, not very firmly attached to a fleshy basis. By the kindness of a lady living near Worcester, I am enabled to give an excellent receipt for cooking lampreys. “After the lampreys have been cleaned thoroughly in salt and water, rub them over gently with mixed white spices, and let them be twenty-four hours. Then put them to stew quite gently till tender with the moisture that has run from them, and if not sufficient to cover them, add a little beef gravy without seasoning and a glass of port wine when nearly done. The small lamperns are stewed in the same way, after being cleaned in salt and boiling water.”
Alwyne Wheeler (1969) in "The Fishes of the British Isles and North West Europe":
NAMES Fr. Lamproie marine; Du. Zeelamprei; Ge. Seelamprete; Da. and Nor. Havlampret.
IDENTIFICATION Superficially it resembles an eel, but lacks a mouth with jaws, paired fins and a gill cover. The mouth is an elongate slit when closed, but when open forms an elliptical disc, with numerous hooked teeth arranged in rows. The eye is large, and is closely followed by a series of seven gill openings. It has two pronounced dorsal fins, well separated, and a single fin ventrally. Adults nearing the breeding season develop additional fin folds, the male having a strong ridge along the back, the female a crest-like fin behind the vent. The colour is also distinctive in adults, olive brown above (becoming yellow with maturity) with dense black mottling, ventrally a whitish grey. The larvae (for distinguishing morphological features see page 25) are uniformly greyish dorsally, cream below. It grows to about 36 in (91 cm) and a weight of 51 lb (2.5 kg).
BIOLOGY The lamprey breeds in freshwater, and spends the greater part of its life there in a larval stage. It does not, however, enter all streams within its range indiscriminately, because for spawning it requires a gravelly bottom with swift-running water, and near-by backwaters with muddy bottoms for the larvae. Furthermore, weirs and pollution both render rivers unsuitable for the lamprey's migratory ascent. Breeding occurs in May and June when the adults (often one male to two females) have cleared a nest in the gravel, using their sucking discs to remove stones. The nest is a depression about six inches deep, and two to three feet wide. The eggs (which may number 200,000) are deposited in the depression. The adults die shortly after spawning. The larvae are blind, toothless and only remotely resemble the adults; they live buried in mud and muddy sand downstream of the spawning site, and feed on organic matter and detritus. This larval life varies in duration with the average annual temperature, but in the British Isles usually lasts for five years and eight months. Metamorphosis begins in late summer and is complete in four months, by which time the lamprey, from 6-8 in (15-20 cm), is equipped for its parasitic mode of life, and descends to the sea. Little is known of the lamprey's life in the sea except that it attacks a wide range of fishes (shad, cod, haddock, salmon, basking shark, sturgeon and eel have been amongst the reported victims) and cetaceans. Once attached to its host the lamprey rasps at the skin with its toothed tongue while the oval disc provides a powerful sucking apparatus and the host's blood is largely drained out of its tissues. In addition, glands in the lamprey's mouth secrete a substance which both inhibits clotting of the blood and breaks down the muscle tissue of the victim's body. The effects of attacks on smaller fishes are invariably fatal. Maturity is attained at a length of 24-31 in (60-80 cm) after one to two years in the sea. The sea lamprey is not common around the British Isles, although the larvae seem frequent enough in such streams as they colonise. Although regarded as good food at one time, they are not now exploited for food, except locally. Their relative scarcity means that here their predatory habits are not a serious threat to fisheries, as they have been in the American Great Lakes, where a landlocked form of this species, having invaded the lakes, has caused immense damage.
DISTRIBUTION Also Mediterranean and American Atlantic coast south to Florida.