Abstract
IN relation to the origin of the non-parasitic brook lampreys the view now generally accepted is that these forms have arisen from closely related parasitic species by virtue of a precocious development of the gonads1–3. As a result, sexual maturity is attained so soon after metamorphosis that the migratory, parasitic phase has been eliminated from the life-cycle. The recent discovery of neotenous female ammocœtes of the Italian brook lamprey, L. zanandreai Vladykov4, tends to support the view that brook lampreys show an inherent tendency towards pædomorphosis.
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References
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HARDISTY, M. Development of the Gonads in Parasitic and Non-Parasitic Lampreys. Nature 187, 341–342 (1960). https://doi.org/10.1038/187341a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/187341a0
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