Lanternfish are small mesopelagic fish of the large family Myctophidae. One of two families in the order Myctophiformes, the Myctophidae are represented by 246 species in 33 genera, and are found in oceans worldwide. Lanternfishes are aptly named after their conspicuous use of bioluminescence. Their sister family, the Neoscopelidae, are much fewer in number but superficially very similar; at least one neoscopelid shares the common name "lanternfish": the large-scaled lantern fish, Neoscopelus macrolepidotus.
Diaphus is a genus of lanternfishes. It is the most species-rich lanternfish genus.
Spiniphryne, also called spiny dreamers, is a genus of dreamers. Like other deep-sea anglerfish, Spiniphryne lure prey to them by means of a modified first dorsal fin ray with a bioluminescent bulb at the tip. Spiniphryne is unique amongst the oneirodids for being covered in tiny spines.
The Compleat Anglerfish (Lasiognathus) is a genus of deep-sea anglerfish in the family Thaumatichthyidae, with six species known from the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. It’s lure apparatus appears to consist of a fishing rod, a fishing line, bait, and hooks. It is also distinctive for an enormous upper jaw with premaxillaries that can be folded down to enclose the much shorter lower jaw.
Opisthoproctus soleatus is a species of fish in the family Opisthoproctidae. It was first described in 1888 by Léon Vaillant. The species lives in most tropical seas, but is more common in the eastern Atlantic, from western Ireland to Mauritania and from Sierra Leone to Angola, and also in the South China Sea. O. soleatus can grow to a standard length of 10.5 centimetres (4.1 in) and usually live from about 500 to 700 metres deep.
Scopelopsis multipunctatus, the Multispotted Lanternfish, is a species of lanternfish. This species grows to a length of 9.5 cm.
Rolf Ling Bolin was an American academic ichthyologist. A genus of lanternfish, Bolinichthys, is named for him.
Gavialiceps bertelseni is an eel in the family Muraenesocidae. It was described by Emma Stanislavovna Karmovskaya in 1993. It is a marine, deep water-dwelling eel which is known from the southwestern slope of Madagascar, in the western Indian Ocean. It dwells at a depth range of 670 to 1,200 metres. Males can reach a maximum total length of 84 centimetres (33 in).
Notoscopelus elongatus is a species of lanternfish in the family Myctophidae. It is endemic to the Mediterranean Sea where it is found in deep water habitats, rising to near the surface to feed at night and descending to great depths by day. It is a common species with no particular threats, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has listed its conservation status as being of least concern.
Notoscopelus resplendens, commonly known as the patchwork lampfish or patchwork lanternfish, is a species of lanternfish in the family Myctophidae. It is found in the eastern and western Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean and parts of the Pacific Ocean. It spends the daylight hours in deep water, rising at night to near the surface. This fish was first described by the Scottish naturalist and arctic explorer John Richardson in 1845.
Notoscopelus caudispinosus is a species of lanternfish in the family Myctophidae. It is found in the eastern and western Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean and parts of the Pacific Ocean. It spends the day below 1,000 m (3,300 ft), rising towards the surface to feed at night.
Notoscopelus bolini is a species of lanternfish in the family Myctophidae. It is found in the North Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. It was first described in 1975 by the American ichthyologist Basil Nafpaktitis and named in honour of the American marine biologist Rolf Ling Bolin who had reviewed the genus in 1959.
Notoscopelus kroyeri, commonly known as the lancet fish, is a species of lanternfish in the family Myctophidae. It is endemic to the North Atlantic Ocean where it is found in deep water habitats, spending its day at great depths and its night near the surface. It was previously regarded by some authorities as being a subspecies of Notoscopelus elongatus; one of the differences between the two being that N. elongatus has 25 or fewer gill rakers while N. kroyeri has 26 or more.
The longfin lanternfish is a species of oceanodromous lanternfish that is oviparous, and a host of Sarcotretes scopeli.
The headlight fish is a species of lanternfish in the family Myctophidae. It is also sometimes referred to as the headlight lanternfish, or even the lanternfish, though it is not the only species to be called this.
Cocco's lantern fish, also called Gemellar's lanternfish, is a species of lanternfish.
The spothead lantern fish, also called the bluntnose lanternfish, is a species of fish in the family Myctophidae (lanternfish).
The white-spotted lantern fish, also called Rafinesque's lanternfish, is a species of fish in the family Myctophidae.
Erik Bertelsen was a Danish ichthyologist, who specialised in deep sea fish. The fish, Diaphus bertelseniNafpaktitis, 1966 is named in his honour.
