Blue-eye lanternshark

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Blue-eye lanternshark
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Chondrichthyes
Superorder: Selachimorpha
Order: Squaliformes
Family: Etmopteridae
Genus: Etmopterus
Species:
E. viator
Binomial name
Etmopterus viator
Straube, 2011
Etmopterus viator Range.png
Known range of Etmopterus viator (in blue)

The blue-eye lanternshark, also known as the traveller lanternshark or slate lanternshark (Etmopterus viator) is a shark of the family Etmopteridae.

Contents

Distribution and habitat

It is found in the northern part of the Kerguelen Plateau in the Southern Ocean, off New Zealand and South Africa. [1] It has been confirmed to be present at the Macquarie Ridge. [1]

Anatomy

It is a medium-sized Etmopterus species with a fusiform body. [2]

Conservation status

In June 2018 the New Zealand Department of Conservation classified the blue-eye lanternshark as "Data Deficient" under the New Zealand Threat Classification System. [3]

Related Research Articles

Bareskin dogfish Species of shark

The bareskin dogfish is a little-known, deepwater dogfish shark of the family Etmopteridae. This species is found in the western Pacific from southern Japan to western and southeastern Australia as well as in New Zealand waters.

Blackbelly lanternshark Species of shark

The blackbelly lanternshark or lucifer shark, Etmopterus lucifer, is a shark of the family Etmopteridae, found around the world in tropical to temperate seas, at depths between 150 and 1,250 meters. Its length is up to 47 centimeters. This species consumes mesopelagic cephalopods, fishes, and crustaceans.

The New Zealand lanternshark is a shark of the family Etmopteridae found off New Zealand. Some taxonomic authorities consider it to be conspecific with the southern lanternshark.

<i>Etmopterus</i> Genus of sharks

Etmopterus is a genus of lantern sharks in the squaliform family Etmopteridae. They are found in deep sea ecosystems of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans.

Blurred lanternshark Species of shark

The blurred lanternshark is a little-known species of dogfish shark in the family Etmopteridae, found around the world in benthic and pelagic habitats from a depth of 110 m (360 ft) to over 1 km (0.62 mi) down. This shark forms the E. pusillus species group with the smooth lanternshark, which are distinguished from other members of its family by having irregularly arranged, flat-topped dermal denticles that give them a "smooth" appearance. Both species are slender-bodied with long heads, two dorsal fins bearing spines, no anal fins, and light-emitting photophores. The blurred lanternshark is larger, reaching 67 cm (26 in) or more in length. This species feeds on small squid, fishes, and fish eggs, and is ovoviviparous. It has been assessed as of Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, because of its wide distribution and lack of threat from fishing pressure.

Smooth lanternshark Species of shark

The smooth lanternshark or slender lanternshark is a species of dogfish shark in the family Etmopteridae, found widely in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. It inhabits benthic environments at a depth of 274–1,000 m (899–3,281 ft), and pelagic environments at a depth of 0–708 m (0–2,323 ft). The smooth lanternshark forms a species group with the larger blurred lanternshark, both of which are distinguished from other members of their family by small, irregularly arranged dermal denticles with a truncated shape. This species has a slender, dark brown body with an indistinct black band on the sides over the pelvic fins, and reaches 50 cm (20 in) in length. This slow-growing, ovoviviparous shark feeds on smaller squid, fishes, and fish eggs. Smooth lanternsharks are often caught as bycatch in eastern Atlantic and Japanese commercial fisheries. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has evaluated this species as of Least Concern because of its wide distribution and limited threats.

Velvet belly lanternshark Species of shark

The velvet belly lanternshark is a species of dogfish shark in the family Etmopteridae. One of the most common deepwater sharks in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean, the velvet belly is found from Iceland and Norway to Gabon and South Africa at a depth of 20–2,490 m (66–8,169 ft). A small shark generally no more than 45 cm (18 in) long, the velvet belly is so named because its black underside is abruptly distinct from the brown coloration on the rest of its body. The body of this species is fairly stout, with a moderately long snout and tail, and very small gill slits. Like other lanternsharks, the velvet belly is bioluminescent, with light-emitting photophores forming a species-specific pattern over its flanks and abdomen. The ventral photophores are thought to function in counter-illumination, which camouflages the shark against predators and prey. The bioluminescent flank markings may play a role in intraspecific communication.

Cylindrical lanternshark Species of shark

The cylindrical lanternshark or Carter Gilbert's lanternshark is a shark of the family Etmopteridae found along the Caribbean coast of Colombia in South America, at depths of between 285 and 355 m. Its maximum length is 21 cm.

Fringefin lanternshark Species of shark

The fringefin lanternshark is a shark of the family Etmopteridae found in the western central Atlantic from Texas to Florida, northern Gulf of Mexico, and Mexico. It is endemic to this area. It is a deep water shark and is found about 220 to 915 meters below the surface, on the upper continental slopes of the Gulf. E. schultzi is a small shark, about 27–30 cm long and feeds on squid. It is also bioluminescent, which counter-illuminates it and helps with intraspecific interaction. Due to its limited range and the difficulty of collecting deep water species, it has not been evaluated by the IUCN Red List, but due to recent oil spills in the Gulf of Mexico, it is likely that fringefin lanternsharks have decreased in population.

Slendertail lanternshark Species of shark

The slendertail lanternshark or Moller's lanternshark is a shark of the family Etmopteridae found in the western Indian Ocean between latitudes 34°N and 46°S at depths between 250 and 860 m. It can grow up to 46 cm in length.

Smalleye lanternshark Species of shark

The smalleye lanternshark is a shark of the family Etmopteridae found in the southeast Pacific off Peru and Chile, at depths between 630 and 1,100 m. Its length is up to 61 cm (24 in).

Southern lanternshark Species of shark

The southern lanternshark is a shark of the family Etmopteridae found in the southeast Pacific between latitudes 29°S and 59°S, at depths of between 220 and 1,460 m. This species has been found off Northland, off the Chatham Islands, on the Campbell Plateau, all in New Zealand waters. Its length is up to 60 cm. Reproduction is ovoviviparous, with 10 to 13 pups in a litter, length at birth about 18 cm. They exhibit bioluminescence.

African lanternshark Species of shark

The African lanternshark is a shark of the family Etmopteridae found in the eastern Atlantic between latitudes 12°N and 18°S, at depths between 300 and 1,000 m. Its length is up to 30 cm.

Brown lanternshark Species of shark

The brown lanternshark or bristled lanternshark is a little-known species of deep-sea dogfish shark in the family Etmopteridae. It is found off Japan and New Zealand, and possibly also South Africa and Australia, typically deeper than 300 m (980 ft). This species can be distinguished from other lanternsharks by its coloration, which is a uniform dark gray or brown without the ventral surface being much darker and clearly delineated from the rest of the body. The brown lanternshark feeds on small bony fishes, cephalopods, and crustaceans. Reproduction is ovoviviparous, with females giving birth to 9–18 young. An unusually high proportion of individuals in Suruga Bay are hermaphrodites, with both male and female characteristics.

Blackmouth lanternshark Species of shark

The blackmouth lanternshark is a species of dogfish shark within the family Etmopteridae. This species is part of a subgroup that includes one other species from within the family. It is known to inhabit the benthic zones of the Eastern Indian Ocean and the Arafura Sea. These sharks were first described in a 2002 issue of Cybium: International Journal of Ichthyology, and there is still much unknown about the species.

False lanternshark Species of shark

The false lanternshark or false pygmy shark is a shark of the family Etmopteridae found in the western Pacific from the Norfolk Ridge and Lord Howe Ridge off New Caledonia.

<i>Etmopterus burgessi</i> Species of shark

Etmopterus burgessi, sometimes known as the broad-snout lanternshark, is a lanternshark of the family Etmopteridae in the order Squaliformes. It is found only around Taiwan.

Shortfin smooth lanternshark Species of shark

The shortfin smooth lanternshark is a shark of the family Etmopteridae found off the northeastern coast of Taiwan, at depths of between 430 and 550 m.

Sculpted lanternshark Species of shark

The sculpted lanternshark is a shark of the family Etmopteridae found from the Southeast Atlantic and Southwest Indian Ocean, specifically from Namibia to southern Mozambique and the Madagascar Ridge. Etmopterus sculptus is a moderately large species of Etmopterus.

References

  1. 1 2 Busson, Frédéric; Bailly, Nicolas (January 2019). "Etmopterus viator Straube, 2011". Fishbase. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
  2. Straube, N.; Duhamel, G.; GaSco, N.; Kriwet, J.; Schliewen, U.K. (2011). "Description of a new deep-sea Lantern Shark Etmopterus viator sp. nov. (Squaliformes: Etmopteridae) from the Southern Hemisphere". The Kerguelen Plateau: Marine Ecosystem and Fisheries, Société Française d'Ichtyologie, Paris: 135–148 via Researchgate.
  3. Duffy, Clinton A. J.; Francis, Malcolm; Dunn, M. R.; Finucci, Brit; Ford, Richard; Hitchmough, Rod; Rolfe, Jeremy (2018). Conservation status of New Zealand chondrichthyans (chimaeras, sharks and rays), 2016 (PDF). Wellington, New Zealand: Department of Conservation. p. 10. ISBN   9781988514628. OCLC   1042901090.