Lampetra ninae

Common name. Caucasian brook lamprey.

Diagnosis. Distinguished from L. lanceolata by: ● posterial teeth usually present in interrupted or complete rows, 4–23 unicuspid and bicuspid teeth. Size up to 166 mm TL in adults, slightly longer in ammocoetes.

Distribution . Caucasian Black Sea basin of Russia and Georgia: Shakhe, Mzymta, and Chakhtsutsyr drainages south to Bzyb’ and Mokva in Abkhazia (Georgia) south to the border between Georgia and Türkiye.

Habitat. Foothills zones in clear, well-oxygenated brooks. Ammocoetes live in detritus-rich sands or clay sediments.

Biology. Nonpredatory, freshwater resident. Metamorphose in autumn. Spawning biology unknown but suspected to be identical to L. lanceolata, which overwinters and spawns in spring.

Conservation status. LC; still common and widespread within its small range.

Remarks. Described as a species of the Arctic genus Lethenteron . Molecular studies indicate that it is very closely related to L. lanceolata . Both may be conspecific, and further research is needed.

Further reading. Lang et al. 2009 (generic position); Naseka et al. 2009 (description); Naseka et al. 2016 (description, distribution).