The genetic diversity of brook lampreys genus Lampetra (Petromyzontidae) along the Pacific coast of North America

Abstract

The number of non-parasitic (brook) lamprey species in the genus Lampetra is underestimated since isolated populations are generally considered one species due to their relatively conserved body form. The phylogeographic and phylogenetic structure was estimated among and within Lampetra species along the Pacific coast of North America (presumed to represent Lampetra richardsoni; L. pacifica – which is currently regarded as a junior synonym of L. richardsoni; L. ayresii; and L. hubbsi) using up to three mitochondrial and three nuclear genetic markers. These data show that L. richardsoni as currently recognized is polyphyletic when lampreys (some of which show up to 8 K2P% sequence divergence) from Siuslaw River and Fourmile Creek (Oregon) and Mark West, Paynes, and Kelsey creeks (California) are included; Lampetra pacifica is a valid species; the population from Kelsey Creek almost certainly represents a new species; and those from Siuslaw, Fourmile, and Mark West may also be distinct species.