Lamprey (comics)

Lamprey (Donald McGuiggin) is a fictional character from Marvel Comics' original Squadron Supreme series. He was initially created as a pastiche of the DC Comics supervillain, the Parasite.

Fictional character biography

Donald McGuiggin, alias the Lamprey, was a professional criminal and member of the criminal group called the Institute of Evil on the Squadron's alternate Earth. He had the power to drain energy from other living beings and duplicate their superhuman powers.

With the Institute of Evil, Lamprey held the Golden Archer captive, and kidnapped the relatives of the Squadron Supreme members. The Institute battled the Squadron Supreme, and were defeated.

Lamprey was one of the Institute members captured by the Squadron and subjected to the Behavior Modification process invented by Squadron member Tom Thumb, altering his personality. He then joined the Squadron and aided them in their efforts to conquer the world in order to turn it into a utopia.

Lamprey accompanied Tom Thumb to the 41st Century looking for a cancer cure.

Lamprey

Lampreys (sometimes also called lamprey eels) are any jawless fish of the order Petromyzontiformes, placed in the superclass Cyclostomata. The adult lamprey may be characterized by a toothed, funnel-like sucking mouth. The common name "lamprey" is probably derived from Latin lampetra, which may mean "stone licker" (lambere "to lick" + petra "stone"), though the etymology is uncertain.

Currently there are about 38 known extant species of lampreys. Although they are well known for boring into the flesh of other fish to suck their blood, in fact only a minority do so; only 18 species of lampreys are actually parasitic. The lampreys are a very ancient lineage of vertebrates, though their exact relationship to hagfishes and jawed vertebrates is still a matter of dispute.

Characteristics

Basic external anatomy of a lamprey

Basic external anatomy of a lamprey

Adults physically resemble eels, in that they have no scales, and can range from 13 to 100 cm (5 to 40 inches) long. Lacking paired fins, adult lampreys have large eyes, one nostril on the top of the head, and seven gill pores on each side of the head. The unique morphological characteristics of lampreys, such as their cartilaginous skeleton, suggest they are the sister taxon (see cladistics) of all living jawed vertebrates (gnathostomes), and are usually considered the most basal group of the Vertebrata. Instead of true vertebrae, they have a series of cartilaginous structures called arcualia arranged above the notochord. Parasitic lampreys feed on prey as adults by attaching their mouthparts to the target animal's body, then using their teeth to cut through surface tissues until they reach blood and body fluid. Although attacks on humans do occur, they will generally not attack humans unless starved. Non-parasitic lampreys, which are usually freshwater species, do not feed as adults; they live off reserves acquired as ammocoetes (larvae), which they obtain through filter feeding.

Lamprey (surname)

Lamprey is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:

Lamprey (disambiguation)

A lamprey is a parasitic aquatic vertebrate with a toothed, funnel-like sucking mouth.

Lamprey may refer to:

See also