sea lamprey

American  

noun

1. Also called vampire fish.  a parasitic marine lamprey, Petromyzon marinus, that spawns in fresh water mostly along the Atlantic coasts of North America and Europe and in the Great Lakes, where it is responsible for losses of economically valuable fish.

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sea lamprey British  

noun

1. a common anadromous lamprey, Petromyzon marinus, a form of which occurs in the Great Lakes of N America and causes great losses of fish

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Etymology

Origin of sea lamprey

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

The sea lamprey, a 500-million-year-old animal with a sharp-toothed suction cup for a mouth, is the thing of nightmares.

From Science Daily • Feb. 21, 2024

Surprisingly, they found that the sea lamprey core hindbrain circuit is also initiated by retinoic acid, providing evidence that these sea monsters and humans are much more closely related than anticipated.

From Science Daily • Feb. 21, 2024

They’re also confused with sea lamprey, an invasive species wreaking havoc in the Great Lakes.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 23, 2022

Salmon are much more successful at nesting when they can lay their eggs in old sea lamprey nests, explains Bennett.

From Salon • Apr. 11, 2021

This cannot be the mustela of the antients, which is supposed to be the sea lamprey.

From Travels through France and Italy by Smollett, T. (Tobias)