Etmopterus Temporal range: Middle Eocene to Present | |
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Velvet belly lanternshark (Etmopterus spinax) | |
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Green lanternshark (Etmopterus virens) | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Chondrichthyes |
Subclass: | Elasmobranchii |
Division: | Selachii |
Order: | Squaliformes |
Family: | Etmopteridae |
Genus: | Etmopterus Rafinesque, 1810 |
Type species | |
Etmopterus aculeatus Rafinesque, 1810 |
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. [2]
A number of species in this genus function as host to the specialized parasitic barnacle Anelasma squalicola , which embeds itself into the skin of the shark and extracts nutrients from its bloodstream. [3]
There are currently 45 recognized species in this genus:
There are at least two extinct species found in Etmopterus. [17]