Genetic relationships of brook lamprey of the genus Lampetra in a Pyrenean stream in Spain

The genetic relationships of a population of brook lamprey Lampetra planeri from Spain were analysed using a fragment of the mitochondrial non-coding region in order to describe its relationships with other European Lampetra populations. DNA sequences were obtained from ten larvae, all corresponding to a single private haplotype. Its closest haplotype differed by five mutations and was found in several samples of Lampetra fluviatlis, both from the North Sea and the Baltic. These results argue for the great conservation value of this brook lamprey population, likely originated from L. fluviatilis ancestors.