Pouched lamprey

Pouched lamprey
Drawing by W. Wing
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Agnatha
Superclass: Cyclostomi
Class: Petromyzontida
Order: Petromyzontiformes
Family: Geotriidae
Genus: Geotria
Species:
G. australis
Binomial name
Geotria australis
Synonyms
Genus synonymy
  • Chilopterus Philippi 1858
  • Dionisia Lahille 1915 non Landau Chabaud, Miltgen & Baccam 1980
  • Exomegas Gill 1883 non Burmeister 1868
  • Macrophthalmia Plate 1897
  • Neomordacia Castelnau 1872
  • Thysanochilus Troschel 1857 non Butler 1878 non non Falc. 1839
  • Velasia Gray 1853
  • Yarra Castelnau 1872 non Krapp-Schickel 2000
Species synonymy
  • Velasia chilensis Gray 1851
  • Thysanochilus valdivianus Philippi 1857
  • Ammocoetes caeruleus Philippi 1858
  • Chilopterus caeruleus (Philippi 1857)
  • Ammocoetes landbecki Philippi 1858
  • Chilopterus landbecki (Philippi 1857)
  • Exomegas macrostomus (Burmeister 1868)
  • Petromyzon fonki Philippi 1865
  • Petromyzon macrostomus Burmeister 1868
  • Yarra singularis Castelnau 1872
  • Neomordacia howittii Castelnau 1872
  • Geotria allporti Günther 1872
  • Velasia stenostomus Ogilby 1896
  • Macrophthalmia chilensis Plate 1897
  • Geotria macrostoma f. gallegensis Smitt 1901
  • Geotria macrostoma gallegensis (Smitt 1901)
  • Geotria gallegensis (Smitt 1901)
  • Geotria saccifera Regan 1911
  • Dionisia patagonica Lahille 1915

The pouched lamprey (Geotria australis), also known as the piharau in New Zealand's North Island, korokoro, kanakana in the South Island, or wide-mouthed lamprey, is a species in the genus Geotria, which is the only genus in the family Geotriidae. The second species in the genus is the Argentinian lamprey (Geotria macrostoma), which was revalidated as a separate species in 2020. The pouched lamprey is native to the southern hemisphere. It spends the early part of its life in fresh water, migrating to the sea as an adult, and returning to fresh water to spawn and die.