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| Adult Short-headed Lamprey are usually about 30-40 cm
in length, but their maximum size is about 50 cm. The juvenile Short-headed
Lamprey are usually less than 14 cm long. |
The Short-headed Lamprey is generally restricted to the Murray River
in the Basin. However, it is found in coastal rivers in Victoria, New
South Wales and Tasmania.
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IN THE PAST
It is not known how many Short-headed Lamprey there used to be. |
TODAY
There are moderate numbers of Short-headed Lamprey in some rivers. |
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| ESTUARIES |
Most of the Lamprey’s adult life is spent at sea or
in estuaries.
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| SLOW MOVING WATERS |
| The larvae live in slow flowing streams, where they burrow
into silt or
mud. |
MATING
Mating habits
of Short-headed Lamprey are not known. |
SPAWNING
Short-headed Lamprey spawning occurs
from August to November, when adults migrate from
the sea to rivers. Eggs are laid often in shallow, relatively fast-water habitats of
the river and they are then covered with sand or gravel. |
EGGS
Female Short-headed Lamprey’s lay between 4000 and 13000
eggs at a time. They are usually 0.3-0.5 mm in diameter. |
JUVENILES
During the larvae stage, juvenile Short-headed Lamprey are eyeless
and worm-like and burrow into soft sediment. |
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| Juvenile Short-headed Lamprey, are toothless and feed on algae,
and micro-organisms that they filter from the water. As they become adult
Short-headed Lamprey develop a sucking disc that has teeth so that they
can become a parasite on
other fish. They make a little hole in another fish’s side and
feed on its blood and/or its muscle. |
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| Adults migrate upstream from the sea, usually in spring and summer,
to spawn. |
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IN THE PAST
Short-headed Lamprey are not known to have been fished commercially. |
TODAY
Not commercially fished. |
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IN THE PAST
It is not known whether Aborigines or early European settlers ate
Shortheaded Lamprey. |
TODAY
Occasionally adult Short-headed Lamprey are caught and eaten, but
this is generally not a sought-after species. |
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LEGAL SIZES
There are no size limits on Short-headed Lamprey that can be caught.
This applies to all States of Australia. |
CATCH LIMITS
There are no limits on the number of Short-headed Lamprey that
can be caught each day. This applies to all States of Australia. |
CLOSED SEASONS
Short-headed Lamprey can be caught all year round in all States
of Australia. |
BAIT
They are not used for bait. |
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| FISH HABITATS |
| The main threat to the habitat of Short-headed Lamprey are barriers
that restrict fish movement. This can interfere with spawning migrations. |
REMEDIES?
Short-headed Lamprey are not bred artificially and are not stocked in
the rivers, lakes or dams of the Basin. They are not listed as threatened in
the Basin or anywhere else in Australia. |
RECOVERY PLANS
There are no recovery plans
in place for the Short-headed Lamprey. |
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